Category: English

Everyone in their social circle knew that Alastair Croft was Ophelia Blackwood’s devoted admirer. He had voluntarily married Ophelia in place of Caspian Thorne, the runaway groom, and stood by her side through the most difficult years of her life. However, just when things were finally looking up, Caspian – the man who had abandoned Ophelia at the altar years ago – suddenly returned. For Caspian’s sake, Ophelia forced Alastair to kneel, locked him in a dog cage, and even compelled him to give blood to Caspian… But what Ophelia didn’t know was that Alastair wasn’t actually from this world. When his seven-year agreement with the mysterious “system” was complete, Alastair chose to leave this reality without hesitation. Upon seeing his “corpse,” Ophelia went mad with grief. … Alastair took a cab to the Mirage Club. Under the mocking gazes of the crowd, he handed a pack of condoms to Ophelia. Ophelia didn’t take them. “You’re four minutes late,” she said, clearly displeased. “There was traffic…” Alastair started to explain, but was interrupted by a teasing male voice. “Ophelia made a bet with her friends that you’d definitely show up within 30 minutes with condoms in hand.” “Little Alastair, you’re four minutes late and cost Ophelia a villa. Better drink four glasses as punishment!” Caspian leaned against Ophelia, looking at Alastair with feigned reproach. Alastair’s gaze fell to his glass. Did the one who fell in love first always have to be treated this way? He wasn’t actually from this world. Seven years ago, his brother had been hit by a car and left in a vegetative state. Devastated, Alastair had somehow awakened a mysterious “system” – an otherworldly power that offered him a deal. If he agreed to accompany Ophelia for seven years, the system would revive his brother as a reward. For these seven years, Alastair had taken meticulous care of Ophelia, helping her rise from rock bottom back to the top. Gradually, he had even developed genuine feelings for her. Just when Alastair was planning to ask the system if he could stay with Ophelia permanently, Caspian – the man who had abandoned her years ago – returned from abroad. With Caspian’s return, Alastair’s seven years of devotion seemed to become a joke overnight. But it didn’t matter. There were only ten days left until his contract with the system expired. Then he could return to his brother’s side. Alastair looked up at Ophelia and said, “I have stomach problems. I can’t drink alcohol.” Ophelia casually picked up a glass and said, “Alastair, your stomach issues were cured ages ago. Don’t be a killjoy.” That had just been an excuse he’d made up so she wouldn’t worry about him. Now it had become Ophelia’s reason to hurt him. A bitter smile tugged at Alastair’s lips. “Fine. If you want me to drink, I’ll drink.” Because of the system’s restrictions, he could never refuse Ophelia’s demands. Alastair lifted the glass and downed it in one gulp. With a sense of reckless abandon, he decided that as long as Ophelia didn’t tell him to stop, he would keep drinking. After all, once he left, this body would die anyway. It didn’t matter if it was healthy or not. Someone joked, “That’s all hard liquor. Can he really handle drinking like that? Ophelia, aren’t you worried about him?” “This is nothing. Alastair is famous for being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Back in the day, he secured so many business deals for Ophelia at the drinking table!” “That’s right, everyone knows Alastair is Ophelia’s loyal lapdog. If she tells him to go east, he wouldn’t dare go west.” “Ophelia, you’ve got to share your secrets for keeping a man so obedient!” Ophelia’s eyes narrowed slightly as she shot an annoyed glance at the person who had just spoken. They immediately fell silent. She looked at Alastair, remembering the first time he had drunk alcohol. Back then, half a glass of wine was enough to make him tipsy. He had hugged her shoulders, telling her how beautiful she was and that he wanted to stay and be her husband.

Later, to keep her company at business functions, Alastair had started building up his alcohol tolerance. He told her he would handle the drinking while she focused on negotiating deals. He promised they would only get better and better together. With his support, she had rebuilt the Blackwood family business. She used to think Alastair was an angel sent to her by heaven. But now she realized that beneath that angelic exterior, his heart was poisonous. Thinking of what Alastair had done to Caspian, Ophelia’s heart, which had softened slightly, hardened once again. In no time at all, Alastair had downed over a dozen glasses of hard liquor. The flood of alcohol into his empty stomach caused needle-like pain to spread throughout his abdomen. Unable to control himself, he leaned against the sofa and started vomiting. The people around him immediately scattered, looking at him with utter disgust. “How revolting. If you can’t hold your liquor, don’t try to show off!” “This outfit is this year’s latest style. It cost me $18,000, and now he’s ruined it completely.” Caspian covered his nose and retreated to Ophelia’s side, taking her arm. “Ophelia, Alastair didn’t mean to ruin everyone’s party. Don’t be too hard on him…” Alastair was so unsteady he could barely stand. He tasted iron in his throat, and when he saw the bright red blood, his vision went black and he collapsed. Just before he lost consciousness completely, he thought he saw Ophelia push Caspian away and rush towards him anxiously. But that had to be a hallucination, right? Ever since Caspian’s return, Alastair didn’t even have a place in Ophelia’s heart anymore. How could she possibly still care about him? When Alastair regained consciousness, his eyes were still closed, but he heard Caspian’s regretful voice: “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have made Alastair drink. I just wanted him to have a couple glasses to liven things up. Who knew he would…” Cordelia Thorne raised her hand to pull Caspian into her embrace, comforting him: “Caspian, this isn’t your fault. He insisted on showing off by drinking so much. Now that he’s got a bleeding ulcer, he has no one to blame but himself.” Sure enough, when Alastair opened his eyes, he saw a scene of motherly love. Seeing that he was awake, Cordelia immediately started scolding him: “Alastair, look what you’ve done! Caspian was worried sick about you all night.” Alaric Thorne said viciously: “You knew you couldn’t handle alcohol. Why did you have to show off? You deserve this bleeding ulcer!” Their hurtful words were like knives, stabbing him over and over. In Alastair’s original world, his parents had died early. His brother had raised him single-handedly, so he had never experienced parental love. He thought coming to this world would make up for that regret. Before, his relationship with the Thornes had even seemed warm. But as soon as Caspian returned, he stole everything from Alastair – both love and family. Alastair’s voice was weak as he asked, “Who is really your biological son?” “When Caspian abandoned the Thorne family’s reputation and ran away from the wedding, you hated him so much you cursed him for being heartless. But he’s only been back a short while and you’ve already forgotten all that hatred.” When facing Ophelia, Alastair couldn’t disobey her because of the system’s restrictions. But when facing others, he didn’t want to be so stifled anymore. However, Cordelia and Alaric became even angrier hearing this. Cordelia said, “How dare you bring up Caspian running from the wedding! If it weren’t for…” Caspian grabbed Cordelia’s arm and said in an aggrieved tone, “Mom, let’s not talk about the past anymore. From now on, I’ll work with my brother to be filial to you and Dad.” Cordelia looked at Caspian with heartache. “My poor boy, you’ve suffered so much.” Alaric also said, “Caspian, when we get back I’ll transfer all the shares under my name to you as compensation.” To Alastair, Cordelia and Alaric’s words were laughable. It was clearly Caspian who had forced him to drink and caused his bleeding ulcer. Now they were blaming him instead. A smug look flashed across Caspian’s face, but he still maintained his act of humility. “As long as I can stay by Mom and Dad’s side, no hardship is too much.” Afterwards, Caspian used the excuse of calling a doctor to send Cordelia and Alaric away. Once they were gone, Caspian immediately dropped his facade and walked to Alastair’s bedside.

“Alastair, you’ve seen it for yourself. Your wife and your parents all have their hearts set on me. You’ve really failed miserably at being a person!” “I advise you to know your place. Leave voluntarily now, or you’ll be the one who looks bad when you get kicked out later.” Alastair sat up in the hospital bed and looked at Caspian. “If that’s really the case, why are you in such a hurry? Why not just wait for me to get kicked out?” Having his thoughts seen through, Caspian became somewhat flustered and angry. “Alastair, since you refuse to drink from the cup of kindness, don’t blame me for what happens next.” He raised his hand and punched himself, then picked up the water glass by the bed and poured it over himself. The glass shattered with a crisp sound. The next second, the door to the room was pushed open. Ophelia and Cordelia appeared in the doorway with several doctors. Seeing the situation in the room, Ophelia rushed to Caspian’s side in a few quick steps. She looked at the handprint on Caspian’s face, her heart aching. “Caspian, are you okay?” Caspian’s eyes were red as he said, “Alastair, I really only came back this time to see Mom, Dad and Ophelia. If you don’t like it, I can leave right away…” Hearing this, Ophelia was instantly enraged. She raised her hand and slapped Alastair hard across the face. “Alastair, is it only in front of Caspian that you show your vicious, brutal true colors?!” “Let me tell you, from now on, Caspian will stay by my side. Don’t even think about driving him away.” The slap was extremely heavy. Alastair’s body tilted to the side, his head hitting the bed frame and raising a large bump. Cordelia didn’t even spare Alastair a glance. She just took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Caspian’s tears. “Caspian, in the years you were gone, I worried about you every single moment. Promise Mommy you won’t leave again, okay?” Caspian glanced at Alastair with a somewhat troubled expression. “But if I stay, Alastair will be unhappy.” Alaric immediately yanked Alastair up from the bed. “Apologize to your brother right now!” Alastair was unsteady on his feet, but he still forced out in a hard voice: “He’s not my brother.” In his heart, he would only ever have one brother. Ophelia used anger to mask her loss of composure: “Alastair, you really are incorrigible! I order you to apologize to Caspian!” Alastair stubbornly stared at Ophelia, refusing to speak. His whole body started to feel the stinging pain of an electric current. The system’s restrictions meant he couldn’t refuse Ophelia’s demands, or he would be punished with electric shocks. As the current gradually increased, Alastair’s entire body was in excruciating pain. He fell to his knees. Seeing this, Ophelia instinctively reached out to help him up, but before she could touch him, she pulled her hand back. “Alastair, I know your stomach problems aren’t that serious. Don’t try to play for sympathy.” Someone who doesn’t love you won’t care even if you die right in front of them. Alastair couldn’t help but wonder – nine days from now, when he really died in front of Ophelia, would she shed even a single tear for him? This tug-of-war ended with Ophelia’s inevitable victory. Alastair’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, his face so pale it was almost transparent. Word by word, he said: “Caspian… I’m sorry…” “Alright, Alastair. I accept your apology. You can get up now.” Caspian reached out to help him up, but when he got close to Alastair’s ear, he whispered mockingly: “Alastair, and here I thought you had such a strong backbone!” After the apology was over, Ophelia took Caspian to the clinic for treatment. Cordelia and Alaric followed closely behind. The group that had arrived so grandly now left just as grandly. Alastair seemed to have been forgotten, left standing alone. After a long while, he finally raised his hand to touch his swollen, painful cheek. If his brother were here, he would definitely protect him and care for him. Brother, I miss you. I really want to see you soon.

For the next few days, neither Ophelia nor Cordelia came back to the hospital. Because of the system’s companionship requirements, Alastair couldn’t be away from Ophelia for more than three days. On the evening of the third day, Alastair called Ophelia. He had to call over a dozen times before she finally picked up. Ophelia’s impatient voice came through the phone. “Alastair, are you sick in the head? Why do you keep calling me?!” Alastair’s voice was flat as he said, “Ophelia, it’s been three days since I last saw you.” “It’s only been three days. I wish I never had to see a vicious man like you ever again.” If he could, he would want to never see her again either. “Ophelia, I’ve told you before, if I don’t see you for more than three days, I’ll…” Ophelia mocked him, “You’ll feel like you’re dying? Alastair, stop with these boring tricks. It used to be cute, but now it just disgusts me!” With that, she hung up the phone. Alastair looked at the darkened phone screen, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. Back when Ophelia had gone on a business trip, she had said she’d be back in two days. But she hadn’t returned until the evening of the third day. Alastair’s entire body had felt like it was being bitten by insects. There were no visible injuries, but the pain and itching were unbearable. He had wanted to take a knife and scrape off his own skin. The longer he went without seeing Ophelia, the worse this feeling became. That night, Alastair had bought a plane ticket and flown to Ophelia’s side. When Ophelia saw him, she was both surprised and pleased. She asked why he had come. At the time, his eyes had been red-rimmed, his tone carrying a hint of barely detectable grievance as he said: “Ophelia, don’t ever go more than three days without letting me see you again. Being away from you feels worse than death.” Ophelia had hugged his waist, laughing softly as she nuzzled his chest. “You really can’t bear to be apart from me, can you?” Alastair had nodded emphatically. Then Ophelia had solemnly promised that from then on, she would definitely take him with her wherever she went. She had always kept that promise. But now she thought he was just playing tricks. She said he disgusted her. Just as Alastair was about to call Ophelia’s assistant to ask about her whereabouts, Caspian sent him a video clip. [Alastair, so what if you’ve been by her side for seven years? So what if I ran away from the wedding back then? The one she loves has always been me.] In the video, Ophelia was wearing an elegant evening gown, her arms around Caspian as they danced the opening waltz. The suit Caspian was wearing was the one Alastair had custom ordered from a certain brand a month ago. The two gazed at each other and smiled, their eyes conveying unspoken emotions. Alastair pulled out the IV needle, got out of bed and changed his clothes, then took a taxi to the jewelry exhibition. By the time Alastair arrived, the exhibition had reached its climax. Ophelia was in a bidding war with someone else over a diamond watch called “Eternal Time.” In the end, Ophelia won the auction for $180 million. As she went on stage to sign for it, the host asked her: “Ms. Blackwood, you seemed very determined to win this ‘Heart of True Love’ during the bidding. May I ask, what made you so set on acquiring it?” Ophelia took the microphone and said: “Because I once promised someone that I would give him all my love. By twist of fate, we weren’t able to be together in the end. I hope this watch, which symbolizes eternal time, can accompany him in my place.” The host said: “There are so many regrets in love. Though regrettable, it’s unforgettable. Ms. Blackwood and her beloved may not have ended up together, but I believe this love will be passed down eternally along with time.” Applause thundered through the hall. Caspian gazed at Ophelia on stage with tears in his eyes, accepting everyone’s congratulations. But when Ophelia saw Alastair standing in the doorway, her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

She quickly regained her composure and walked off the stage. After handing the necklace to Caspian, she strode over to Alastair, grabbed his arm and pulled him aside, scolding: “Alastair, are you following me?” Alastair’s arm hurt from Ophelia’s grip. His brows furrowed. “Ophelia, I just wanted to come see you.” Ophelia’s heart seemed to be suddenly struck. Her entire demeanor softened. He said he just wanted to come see her. Alastair truly loved her so much. Even though she had given this watch symbolizing eternal love to Caspian, he didn’t utter a single word of complaint. In front of her, he lowered himself to the dust. Thinking of this, Ophelia’s voice gentled a bit. “Although I gave this watch to Caspian, don’t worry. The position of Mr. Blackwood will always be yours.” Perhaps in the past, hearing these words would have made him somewhat happy. It meant he still had a place in Ophelia’s heart. But now, Alastair really wanted to tell her that he didn’t need it anymore. He didn’t need Ophelia’s affection or love. He didn’t need the position of Mr. Blackwood. Caspian walked over, the dazzling diamond watch on his wrist. He put his arm around Ophelia’s shoulders. “Ophelia, Alastair was discharged from the hospital today. Why don’t we go have dinner together to celebrate?” Ophelia looked at Alastair in his thin clothes but didn’t say anything. She turned and left with Caspian. Alastair silently followed behind them. As long as he could stay by Ophelia’s side for an hour, he could make it through another three days. At the dinner table, Caspian poured half a glass of red wine for each of them. Alastair looked at the wine, as red as fresh blood, but didn’t refuse. After all, his refusal would be meaningless. As long as Ophelia told him to drink, he had to drink. But unexpectedly, Ophelia spoke up first, calling the waiter over: “Bring him a glass of milk instead.” A flash of venom passed through Caspian’s eyes, but he quickly smiled and said: “How forgetful of me. I almost forgot Alastair can’t drink alcohol.” Alastair just smiled indifferently at this. Whether it was red wine or milk made no difference to him now. After dinner, Alastair didn’t want to keep being the villain getting in the way of true love. He volunteered to leave. Seeing how considerate he was being, Ophelia couldn’t help but say: “Wait for me at home. I’ll be back tonight.” Alastair didn’t respond to this. He had already spent an hour by Ophelia’s side. Whether she came back now or not didn’t matter to him anymore. But unexpectedly, just as he arrived home, Ophelia returned with Caspian. She walked over and grabbed Alastair’s collar, her pale hands roaming all over his body. The mocking look in Caspian’s eyes made Alastair feel extremely uncomfortable. He lost his temper for once: “Ophelia, what are you doing?!” Ophelia felt something in Alastair’s pocket. She pulled it out, and instantly flew into a rage. She shoved Alastair to the ground. “Alastair, and here I thought you had reformed.” Caspian also spoke up, looking disappointed: “Alastair, if you liked this watch, you could have just told me. Why did you have to steal it?” Looking at the watch in Ophelia’s hand, Alastair realized he had been set up by Caspian. Even though he knew Ophelia wouldn’t believe him, he still had to speak up in his own defense. “I didn’t steal it. Caspian framed me.” Caspian immediately looked aggrieved. “Alastair, I know you’ve never liked me as your brother, but you can’t just dump this dirty water on me.” Hearing Caspian repeatedly refer to himself as Alastair’s brother, Alastair lost control and shouted: “You’re not my brother at all. You don’t deserve to be!” Ophelia said sternly: “Enough! Alastair, you’re really beyond hope. You did something wrong, but you don’t show a shred of remorse!” “Someone come lock him in the dog cage in the backyard. Don’t let him out until he admits his mistake.” Two bodyguards wordlessly dragged Alastair to the backyard and shoved him into an iron cage. Several fierce dogs immediately surrounded the cage, snarling and barking at Alastair. Alastair had been bitten by a dog when he was young and had been deeply afraid of them ever since. He gripped the iron bars and shouted: “Ophelia, let me out…” “I know I was wrong, please let me out…” But no matter how much he yelled, no one paid him any attention. Only the vicious dogs kept circling around him, baring their teeth and tearing at his clothes from time to time. Alastair curled up into a ball, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. He was terrified that at any moment, these dogs would lunge at him and tear him to pieces. He mumbled: “Brother, come save me…” “Brother, I’m so scared. Come take me home…” After a long while, Alastair finally remembered that his brother was lying in a vegetative state in the hospital after saving him. He had come here to save his brother. From childhood, no matter what danger he faced, his brother had always stood in front of him, shielding him from wind and rain.

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My husband hated me for a lifetime because I couldn’t save Ava Moore, the woman on the operating table. He forced me to terminate my pregnancy, his eyes filled with rage. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you? Because she was my first love, you let her die!” But later, when a patient’s enraged family came to attack me, he shielded me from the fatal blow. I tried everything to save him, but he gave up his will to live. “I can finally… see Ava again…” At the morgue, my father-in-law blocked me from entering. “You cursed us! One wasn’t enough—you had to take my son, too!” His eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse with grief and fury. No one stood up for me. To everyone, it seemed like I was the source of all their misfortune. When I woke up in the past, I put down the scalpel and said calmly, “Give my heart to Ava Moore.” This time, I would step aside and give them their happiness. When I announced my decision, the entire operating room fell silent. The head nurse stared at me in disbelief. “Are you out of your mind? If you give her your heart, what happens to you?” I answered calmly, “Ava will get my heart, and I’ll take an artificial one.” He tried to reason with me. “Artificial hearts are still experimental. They come with serious risks and side effects. We don’t even recommend them for our patients unless it’s a last resort.” I shook my head, cutting him off. “There’s no need to say more. I’ve made my decision. Schedule the surgery right now.” This time, I would make sure Ava survived. In my previous life, I spent 32 hours in the operating room trying to save her. When I finally walked out, exhausted, I was met with a stinging slap from Mason . His bloodshot eyes burned into mine as he demanded, “Why? Why couldn’t you save Ava? Aren’t you supposed to be the best surgeon in the city?” I couldn’t answer. His disappointment crushed me, and I fainted from sheer exhaustion. When I woke up, I was met with devastating news: Mason had made me terminate our baby. When I confronted him, his voice was full of hatred. “She was my first love, and you let her die on purpose, didn’t you?” “Someone as vile as you doesn’t deserve to have a child!” The thought of our unborn baby twisted my heart with pain. My uterine wall had been too thin, and during the procedure, I’d hemorrhaged badly. The damage was irreversible—I’d never be able to have children again. Mason used to love kids. Losing the chance to be a father would become one of his deepest regrets. This time, I would make sure he had no regrets. Ava. The baby. And… The marriage he had always wanted to leave behind. The surgery was a success. When the operating room doors opened, both Ava and I were wheeled out on stretchers. Mason rushed in immediately, his focus entirely on Ava. Tears streamed down his face as he grabbed her hand. “Ava, are you okay? Please don’t leave me. Don’t leave me alone in this world.” He began to cry harder, his voice breaking. “Where’s Rachel? She’s the best doctor in the city—why couldn’t she save you?” The head nurse interrupted him coldly, barely able to contain her anger. “The patient didn’t die. She’s still unconscious because of the anesthesia.” She pointed at the other stretcher. “And Rachel? She’s right here. Do you even know what she did for Ava?” The nurse caught my pleading glance and bit her tongue. She didn’t reveal the truth about how I’d given Ava my heart. Instead, she said, “Rachel collapsed from exhaustion in the operating room, all for Ava’s sake. You’re her husband—don’t you feel even a little guilty?” Mason finally noticed me—my pale face, my barely breathing body. His anger faded, replaced by a flicker of guilt. He bit his lip, hesitating for a long moment before whispering, “Rachel… thank you for saving Ava.” I forced a weak smile and gestured for him to step closer. He looked confused but still obeyed, moving toward my bedside. My voice was barely audible as I pleaded, “Mason… promise me. No matter what happens, don’t take this baby away from me.” This was the second thing I needed to do for him: give him the chance to be a father. Mason froze, his expression conflicted. For a brief moment, something soft flashed in his eyes. “Ava and I… it’s not what you think,” he said quietly. “I’m not going to leave you for her. And I won’t make you terminate the pregnancy. Stop overthinking things.” I didn’t respond. In my previous life, he didn’t leave me either. But in the end, we became nothing more than bitter strangers. He resented me until his dying breath. This time, I wouldn’t let that happen. I opened my mouth to tell him I wanted a divorce, but before I could speak, a sound came from the bed next to mine. Ava’s fingers twitched. She was waking up. Mason immediately straightened, his focus shifting entirely to her. Without hesitation, he rushed to her bedside, leaving me behind. Watching his retreating back, a bitter smile tugged at my lips. No matter how many times I was reborn, Ava would always be the one who mattered most to him. 2 After lying in bed for several days, Mason finally found time to visit me a few times. With a tone of irritation, he said, “Why are you weaker than Ava Moore? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were the one who just had surgery.” After saying that, his expression shifted slightly, as if he regretted his words. He added with a touch of guilt, “Anyway, you’re only in this state because of Ava. She just told me earlier that once she’s feeling better, she wants to throw a big party to thank you properly.” “I know you’ve always held a grudge against her because of my past with her, but we’re married now.” At the mention of marriage, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He paused for a moment before continuing. “It’s over between Ava and me. Don’t overthink it. Let’s just focus on living our lives.” As he spoke, he reached out and gently took my hand. The warmth of his hand against mine made my chest tighten. If this had been my previous life, hearing these words would have made me so happy I’d forget everything else. But after everything I’ve been through, I knew better. Ava still held a place in his heart. His promises to me now were nothing more than an obligation to honor our marriage. I pulled my hand back, looked at him calmly, and said softly, “I know you still have feelings for Ava. I’m willing to let go and give you two my blessing. Don’t worry—I’ll explain everything to my parents.” I didn’t expect Mason’s expression to darken so quickly at my words. His eyes locked onto mine, his voice rising in frustration. “Rachel, what nonsense are you talking about now? I told you—it’s over between Ava and me!” “What do you mean by this? Are you accusing me of betraying you? Can you stop assuming the worst about everything?” I tried to get up, reaching for his sleeve to explain, but a sharp pain shot through my chest. I collapsed back onto the bed. Seeing my pale face, Mason’s expression turned cold. “What are you trying to pull this time? You’re not the one who had surgery, yet you’ve been lying in bed for days. Isn’t that enough?” “Ava was right—you’ve been faking this whole time, haven’t you? Trying to make us feel guilty for you?” “Rachel, you’re a doctor. Saving lives is your job. Don’t think you can use this as leverage against us!” Every “us” he uttered was a reminder that, to him, I was the villain who tore them apart. I tried to smile bitterly, but all I managed was a faint twitch of my lips. The pain in my chest was so overwhelming, it felt like I might pass out. When he noticed the cold sweat beading on my forehead, Mason’s tone wavered with unease. “Rachel, stop pretending. I’m not falling for it!” “What’s wrong with you? Someone get in here! Nurse! Is anyone there?” The head nurse rushed in with a team, quickly starting an examination. Mason was pushed out of the room, left to watch anxiously through the glass. For a moment, I caught a glimpse of the worry on his face. But it didn’t bring me any comfort. Maybe he was only worried because if something happened to me, Ava would owe me even more. Thanks to the medical team’s efforts, my condition eventually stabilized. The head nurse let out a long sigh and scolded me, “I warned you, didn’t I? Artificial hearts come with side effects, but you wouldn’t listen!” “Look at you now! If we hadn’t acted quickly, you wouldn’t have made it this time!” Mason happened to walk in just as she finished speaking. He couldn’t help but interject. “What do you mean, she wouldn’t have made it? She was just exhausted from too many surgeries, wasn’t she? She just needs more rest.” His eyes shifted between me and the nurse, suspicion creeping into his expression, as if he thought we were hiding something from him. The nurse, clearly annoyed, snapped, “Why don’t you ask her yourself?” I forced a weak smile and said lightly, “I’ve just been overworking myself recently. I need some time to recover, that’s all.” The nurse sighed but didn’t say anything more. Mason stood in silence for a while before walking over to change the water in the flower vase on my bedside table. When he placed a fresh bouquet of calla lilies into the vase, I couldn’t hide my surprise. “How did you know calla lilies are my favorite flower?” He pressed his lips together, avoiding my gaze. “You mentioned it before.” I suddenly remembered. When we first moved into our new home, his parents had suggested adding fresh flowers for a more lively atmosphere. I’d casually mentioned calla lilies at the time. I hadn’t thought he’d remember something so trivial. Staring at the pristine white flowers, a complicated mix of emotions welled up inside me. Finally, I asked the question that had been buried in my heart for two lifetimes. “If Ava had come back before we got married… would you still have married me?” Mason’s hand froze. He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he frowned in confusion. “Why are you asking something like that? We’re already married. What’s the point of bringing this up now?” But I refused to let it go. I locked eyes with him, determined. “I need an answer. Can you be honest with me?” A flicker of guilt crossed his face. He turned his head, avoiding my gaze. After a long pause, I finally heard him mutter under his breath, “No.” The sword that had been hanging over my head finally fell. Any lingering hope I had been clinging to shattered completely. Seeing the pain on my face, Mason’s tone softened, a rare hint of panic in his voice. “But that’s just a hypothetical. The reality is, we’re married now. Those ‘what ifs’ don’t matter. I’m not going to leave you or get back together with Ava.” He abruptly stood, pulling the blanket over me. “Focus on getting better. Once you’re well…” He hesitated, his expression hardening with resolve. “We’ll move to the next city over. I won’t have any more contact with Ava—ever again.” After saying that, he slumped slightly, as if the decision had drained him, then turned and left the room without looking back. I watched his retreating figure and pressed the call button by my bed. When the head nurse returned, she looked at me, confused. “Can you help me print a divorce agreement?” I asked softly. If there’s no love, then I’m willing to let go completely. This will be the last thing I ever do for Mason . 3 After a few days of recovery, I was finally able to get out of bed. The first thing I did was go find Mason . As expected, he was in Ava Moore’s hospital room. During this time, Mason had requested to stay by her side, taking care of her 24/7. Through the glass window, I could see Ava saying something that made him laugh. I stood there quietly, watching. Mason rarely smiled like that when he was with me. In our time together, it was either silence or arguments. Moments of joy like this were almost nonexistent. Maybe separating was the right choice after all. I knocked on the door, breaking the moment between them. Mason turned to see me, his expression instantly flustered. He stood up quickly, looking like he was about to explain something. But before he could speak, Ava started coughing violently, cutting him off. Mason immediately turned all his attention to her, rushing to pour a glass of warm water. He gently helped her drink it, his face full of concern. As Ava cast me a smug, triumphant glance, I stood there silently, my heart calm. When Mason had finished helping her, I stepped forward and handed him the paperwork I was holding. “This is Ava’s treatment plan. It requires your signature.” Ava had been born with a congenital heart condition. Her parents had abandoned her years ago, considering her a burden. Since then, Mason had been the one signing off on all her medical procedures. He took the documents from me, skimmed through a few pages, and quickly signed them without much thought. As I watched him sign the final page, the weight in my chest began to lift. “Mason,” I said softly, “could you leave us for a moment? I need to talk to Ava alone.” Mason hesitated for a moment, but eventually, he nodded and left, closing the door behind him. The moment the door clicked shut, the gentle expression on Ava’s face disappeared. She looked at me with disdain. “What is it? Did you come to beg me to leave Mason?” I shook my head, my tone calm. “No. I’m the one leaving. Mason and I are already divorced. I just hope you’ll take good care of him from now on.” Ava froze, staring at me in disbelief. “You actually divorced him? I thought you loved him so much you’d never let go.” Bitterness welled up inside me. What good is love when it’s one-sided? I had learned the hard way that forcing something will never lead to happiness. Remembering something important, I added, “I’m still carrying Mason’s child. The baby is innocent. After you two are together, I hope you’ll keep the child.” Ava blinked in surprise, then let out a derisive laugh. “Are you insane? You expect me to raise another woman’s child?” I frowned, trying to stay calm. “I’ll provide child support. If you don’t want to raise the baby, I can take care of them myself. You won’t have to pay a dime.” Ava’s face turned cold as she sneered, “What does his kid have to do with me? If you want to keep it, fine, but you’d better take it away and raise it yourself.” She paused, then added with a smirk, “But if you want me to deal with your mess, you’d better pay me. Call it… emotional damages. If I’m going to take over, you’d better come up with something worthwhile.” I stared at her, stunned. Ava had always acted so devoted and selfless in front of Mason. It was that image of her that had made me willing to step aside for them. But now, I realized what kind of person she truly was. “Are you with him just for the money?” I asked, my voice shaking with anger. Ava glanced at me, then let out a mocking laugh. “What else? Where else am I supposed to find someone stupid enough to pay for all my treatments?” The rage inside me boiled over. I grabbed her by the collar, my voice trembling as I prepared to speak. But before I could say a word, the sound of the door unlocking interrupted us. “Bang!” Ava twisted her body and deliberately threw herself off the bed, landing clumsily on the floor. She sat there in a heap, looking pathetic. “Mason burst into the room, his eyes wide with anger. “Rachel! What the hell are you doing?”

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I’ve been plump since childhood, pampered by my mother’s overfeeding. As a result, I endured endless mockery. Later, Mom specially bought me diet pills. The effects improved day by day. It wasn’t until I died in bed from taking those pills that I realized the truth. These pills were actually meant for my sick brother. They were designed to exchange our lifespans. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I first took those diet pills. Mom had sought out these lifespan-exchanging pills to cure my bedridden brother. She tricked me into taking them by calling them diet pills. Later, my brother became lively and energetic, while I died in bed. When I opened my eyes once more, I had incredibly traveled back in time to the day Mom gave me those pills. Since Mom loved my brother so much, This time, I decided, you’ll be the one exchanging lifespans, Mom. “Sweetie, hurry up and take your medicine. You’ll slim down in no time,” my mom said eagerly, about to shove the pills into my mouth. If I hadn’t traveled back in time, I would have gobbled up her so-called “diet pills” without a second thought. I had always been chubby, much heavier than my peers. Because of my weight and being a girl, I was often ridiculed by others. At school, they would call me “fatty” and mock me, isolating and bullying me. I was never included in class activities, treated like a complete outsider. I couldn’t participate in class performances – they jeered that my size made it impossible to find suitable costumes. Even some teachers looked at me with disdain. So I became desperate to lose weight, but Mom always prepared all sorts of delicious food for me. Whenever I wanted to diet, she would patiently persuade me: “Jelena, you’re perfect as you are. Why bother losing weight?” Thus, fooled by her words, I grew fatter and fatter, finding it increasingly difficult to slim down. When I tried to resist, Mom would cry, throw tantrums, or even threaten suicide. I had no choice. Thinking she just didn’t want to see me suffer, I agreed not to diet. She smiled contentedly watching me balloon up, feeding me endless pork belly, braised pork, and stewed pig’s trotters. But one day, she suddenly wanted me to lose weight. She claimed seeing me being mocked broke her heart, so she had specially obtained some diet pills. She said these pills were incredibly effective – I just needed to take them daily and I’d slim down in no time. I believed her. Every day, I eagerly took the diet pills without waiting for Mom’s reminders. Day after day, I truly lost quite a bit of weight, so I took the pills even more desperately. Mom continued smiling, handing me bottle after bottle of diet pills. I became thinner and thinner, the mocking voices grew less frequent, and I started to make friends. But this improved life didn’t last long, as I realized I was becoming increasingly frail, feeling like I could stop breathing at any moment. Meanwhile, my brother, who had long been bedridden and plagued by illness, gradually improved. He could not only get out of bed but also run and jump around. I finally sensed something was wrong when I overheard Mom talking to my brother. “My precious son is finally getting better. The master’s method really worked. Otherwise, I would have raised your sister for nothing all these years, fattening her up and then giving her diet pills. Those diet pills she’s been taking can actually exchange your lifespans.” Only then did I realize that what I had been taking were not diet pills at all. They were pills that could exchange lifespans. The reason I slimmed down was that my lifespan was being transferred to my brother. Mom was trying to kill me for my brother’s sake. But by the time I learned the truth, it was too late. I only had a few days left to live. When Mom realized I knew the truth, she dropped her kind facade. “What are you looking at? If you’re going to die, just die. You think it was easy for me to raise you all these years? Don’t look at me like I owe you thousands of dollars. I don’t owe you anything. This is what you owe your brother. What’s wrong with sacrificing your life for your brother as his sister?” I refused to take any more “diet pills,” but she and my brother tied me up. They force-fed me bottles of pills. I finally died, my eyes wide open in disbelief.

But I never imagined I would travel back in time to when it all began. I clenched my fists, my whole body trembling uncontrollably. Partly from excitement, partly from resentment. I silently vowed that this time, I wouldn’t let them have their way. “What are you spacing out for? These are special diet pills Mom went to great lengths to get for you. They’re very expensive.” Mom’s smile concealed her malice, her tone tinged with sarcasm. I can’t believe I never noticed before in my past life. “Thank you, Mom.” I grabbed the small diet pills, smiling as I eagerly popped them into my mouth. In reality, I had hidden all the pills in my chubby fingers. “I’ll definitely slim down, right?” I asked. Mom nodded, satisfied and about to leave. “Mom, can I have a bottle? I’ll take some pills when I’m hungry.” Mom raised an eyebrow, clearly pleased by my enthusiasm. She took out a bottle of diet pills from her pocket and placed it on my bedside table. “Of course. Jelena will definitely become a beautiful girl after slimming down.” I nodded. Of course I would slim down, but through my own efforts. In my past life, I hadn’t lost weight because of her repeated interference. This life, I definitely wouldn’t let her have her way. I huddled under the covers, planning my next steps. Luckily it was winter, so I could just wear thick clothes and Mom wouldn’t notice if I had slimmed down or not. I hid all the diet pills away. Tomorrow I would exchange them for similar-looking pills. They were all small white pills, so she probably wouldn’t notice. Since she was so eager for my brother to live, using her own life shouldn’t be a problem, right? I snuggled into the warm blankets and fell asleep. The next morning, Mom came in with hot water. She wasn’t concerned about me – she just wanted to make sure I took the pills. I took the hot water from her. As I got out of bed, I stumbled slightly, spilling the scalding water on her hand. “Ahh!!!” she screamed, slapping me across the face. I cupped my cheek and closed my eyes, tears immediately streaming down. “Mom, how could you hit me? I won’t take the diet pills anymore. Mom, you don’t love me anymore. Mom, just keep fattening me up! I don’t want to diet anymore.” Having died once already, I naturally knew what her weak spot was. There was no way I would let her manipulate me so easily again. I watched her face freeze, disregarding the burn on her hand as she rushed to boil eggs to soothe my face. “Look how careless Mommy was. Jelena, forgive Mommy, okay? We’re too fat, it’s not good for our health. Let’s take the diet pills and slim down, alright?” I nodded, enjoying her fawning attention. It felt pretty good. Mom saw us off at the door, telling me: “Be careful at school.” As she said this, her face concealed a hint of malice. She was actually hoping I would be bullied and abused at school. Because when I was at home, she had to wait on me hand and foot, leaving her little time to care for my brother. So she was happy to see me bullied. But having lived through this once before, there was no way I would let history repeat itself.

I put on a worried expression and asked, “Mom, how’s my brother? I went to check on him yesterday and he was barely breathing. Is he about to…” I trailed off without finishing the last two words, deliberately trying to anger her. “No, your brother is fine. You’ll be late for school if you don’t hurry.” I trudged onto the school bus with my heavy body. As soon as I got on, I heard raucous laughter. The entire bus full of students was laughing at me. I pretended not to hear and found a seat. “Who said you could sit down? Get up! What if you break the seat? It’s so annoying that someone as fat as you is squeezing onto the school bus. You’re taking up space for several people.” The girl speaking was Samantha, the ringleader of the bullies in our class. She especially loved seeking attention and thought bullying me was great fun. “Fatso,” she muttered. Hearing the whole bus laugh at her comment, she nodded in satisfaction. In my past life, I had been too fat to dare resist, afraid that fighting back would only lead to more bullying. And my mom had told me to avoid causing trouble at school, saying she didn’t have the energy to look after me. So I had always been meek and subservient. But now things were different. I looked at her and smiled slightly. “You want me to give up my seat?” She folded her arms and looked down at me, nodding arrogantly. Alright then! Since you’re so eager to sit here, I’ll oblige you. I stood up, and she immediately sat down. It was so cold, yet she was wearing shorts with stockings. She really wasn’t afraid of the cold. I suddenly grabbed her head and slammed it against the window. “Comfortable now?” “What are you doing? How dare you hit people? Are you crazy?” “Yeah, she’s just a fat pig with a narrow mind. So annoying.” “I know, right? Just looking at all that blubber makes me want to puke. I’m glad I’m not in her class.” I ignored the taunts from the other students. My goal now was to establish dominance. “Let go of me! Let go!!!” the girl screamed. I sneered and released my grip. “What, still want to sit?” Samantha shook her head, tears and snot streaming down her face. I pulled back my hand and she quickly stood up. Even if no one approved of my actions, I didn’t care. As long as I was happy, that was enough. “Psycho,” I heard Samantha mutter as she ran away. When we arrived at school, I clumsily got off the bus, triggering another round of laughter. They even gathered around me and started singing. “Fatty fatty, blob of lard. Fatty fatty, makes us barf. Fatty fatty, ha ha ha.” I tried my best to ignore them and walked into the classroom. I sat alone at a desk in the very back – it was the only place spacious enough for me to fit. It was too cold outside, so I had just closed the door when someone opened it again. “What’s the problem? The classroom stinks. I’m just airing it out, is that not allowed?” said one of Samantha’s minions. I looked over at Samantha, whose face still bore marks from hitting the window earlier. I nodded. “You think the classroom stinks, huh?” With that, I stood up and dumped the trash can over her. “Now you’re the one who stinks. Didn’t you want to air things out? Go outside!” I shoved her out and slammed the door shut. Her shrieks could be heard from outside. I had barely been at school an hour before being called to the office. The homeroom teacher was biased against me. “Jelena, what’s going on with you? You come to school and immediately start hitting classmates. I can see you really don’t want to study anymore. You already have a head full of food, and now you’re hitting classmates too? I’m calling your parents.” I let out a cold laugh. “Teacher, do you know why I hit someone? How can you blame me without knowing the facts? Isn’t Samantha such a good student that she can do no wrong?” The teacher stood up and walked towards me in her high heels. I found the sound quite annoying. “If it’s not your fault, then whose is it? Samantha is such a good student, how could she be wrong? You’re really giving me a headache. If you keep being so stubborn, I’ll have to expel you.” At our school, homeroom teachers had the authority to expel students. Fine, expel me then. I wasn’t afraid. “Oh really? So if I told you Samantha led her gang to bully me, cornering me in the bathroom and forcing me to drink dirty water, dumping garbage on me, and making me eat their leftovers, you’d still think it was my fault?” I raised my head and stared boldly at the teacher. “Teacher, I don’t care if you’re biased, but you can’t wrongly accuse me. I have video evidence. Do you want to risk everything over this?” She finally panicked. If word got out that she was a teacher who allowed bullying to happen, she would be fired. “We’ll discuss this matter later,” the teacher finally backed down.

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The billionaire heir announced he would marry two women—essentially uniting two families under one roof. The news rocked high society like an earthquake. The wealthy Scott family had two sons, but tragedy struck when the eldest and their father both died in a plane crash. Mrs. Scott, devastated and desperate, demanded her younger son, Charles Scott, take two wives to preserve the family legacy. Only one wife could legally register the marriage, however, and Charles already had a woman he loved deeply. No one wanted their daughter to be the one without official status. Except me. I happily moved into the lavish mansion without hesitation. “I might have married you, but my heart belongs to Olivia,” Charles said coldly. I nodded seriously, lying unsaddened on the mansion’s eight-hundred-metre king-size bed. After all, I wasn’t here to break them apart—I was here to join the family. “Girls these days will do anything for money.” “No kidding. They say he’s marrying two wives, but only one gets the legal title. The other one? Just some shameless mistress without a name.” “Crazy, right? And to think she’s from a wealthy family herself—how embarrassing.” I sat on the edge of the bed, listening to the maids gossip outside. It was almost midnight when Charles stumbled drunkenly into the room. He sat at the edge of the bed, staring at me with a deep hatred in his eyes. “I might’ve married you, but you know perfectly well that my heart belongs to Olivia. You’ll never compare to her.” “We might’ve had a wedding, but I’m not getting a marriage certificate with you. Legally, Olivia will be my wife—no one else.” His words were blunt, and his glare was sharp, as if he was waiting for me to crack. I nodded with a calm smile, unfazed. The Scott family, one of the richest in the fictional country of Westmont, had two sons. The eldest, Michael, was the perfect heir—gracious, intelligent, and well-loved. He was groomed to take over the family empire, but a tragic accident during a business trip with Mr. Scott shattered those plans. Charles, the younger son, was left to inherit the family fortune. But Charles was different—he had a fiery romance with Olivia, a woman from a modest background. Their love story was no secret in the elite circles. The couple faced criticism for their relationship but vowed to defy societal expectations and stay together—a testament to their “pure and undying love.” But this love was precisely what Mrs. Scott opposed. When she decided Charles should marry two women to continue the Scott legacy, she made it clear she didn’t approve of Olivia. Still, Charles and Olivia’s passionate love story continued to make waves. In elite families, it wasn’t uncommon for men to have affairs, but they were expected to keep their wives happy and maintain appearances. Charles, however, was different. His “second wife” would receive neither love nor respect—an unenviable position. No respectable family would willingly send their daughter into such a situation. Except me. “If I don’t agree to the two-wife arrangement and marry you, my mother won’t let me register my marriage with Olivia. She’s the reason you’re here, so don’t provoke her. Stay out of her way,” Charles said coldly, his eyes filled with disdain. I scratched my cheek and smiled. “Relax. I’m not here to ruin your relationship—I’m here to join the family.” As I unzipped the back of my wedding dress, his expression darkened. “Are you seriously suggesting…?” he asked in disbelief. I chuckled, calmly slipping off the dress. “You’re marrying two women to carry on the family name, right? You have your job, and I have mine. Let’s get this over with—it’s better for everyone.” He frowned, his eyes filled with contempt and disgust. “Fiona Monroe, you’ll do anything for money, won’t you?” “You’re nothing but a gold digger. How could someone like you ever compare to Olivia?”

“You’re right—I’ll never compare to Olivia,” I said calmly. “But tonight, you will do what’s necessary, or how else will you explain yourself to Mrs. Scott tomorrow?” I issued my threat without an ounce of shame. Charles Scott’s face went dark, his eyes filled with fury. Having lost his father and brother, Mrs. Scott was his only family left—and his greatest weakness. Her demands couldn’t be ignored, and her approval was something he couldn’t afford to lose. Seeing the storm brewing in his expression, I softened my tone and took a step back. “I swear, I’ll never do anything to hurt Olivia,” I said gently, walking closer to him. “Mrs. Scott wants you to have two wives, and if you have to marry someone else, isn’t it better that it’s me? At least I won’t try to take your love away from her. I just want a child, nothing more.” I smiled, my voice sweet, as though we were having a casual chat. “All I want is to have a baby, live comfortably, and leave you two to your happily-ever-after. It’s a win-win for everyone.” Charles froze, clearly trying to figure out whether I was being honest. I met his gaze without flinching because I wasn’t lying. I had no intention of fighting Olivia for his love—or for anything at all. “I heard you come from a wealthy family,” Charles said suspiciously. “Not as rich as the Scotts, of course, but it’s not like you’re starving. What did my mom promise your family? Must’ve been a pretty sweet business deal.” I sighed inwardly and nodded. “Yes, she’s helping my family out. But I also married you of my own free will.” I tilted my head, smiling playfully. “Why don’t you just pretend I’m madly in love with you and couldn’t live without you?” Before he could respond, I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the bathroom, pulling at his shirt. “Let’s get this over with. The sooner I’m pregnant, the sooner you won’t have to deal with me anymore.” Charles stiffened as I stripped off his shirt, his face a mask of disdain. The contempt in his eyes was so thick it practically dripped off him. “I’ve never met anyone as shameless as you,” he said coldly. “You don’t even bother pretending to have dignity.” I gasped dramatically, wrapping my arms around his neck. What a heartless man—he had zero regard for a woman’s feelings. Hah. Men. They’ll look down on you in public but won’t hesitate to take what they want in private. The next morning, I went downstairs, now dressed and composed, and saw Charles sitting in the living room with Mrs. Scott and a pale, tearful Olivia by his side. Charles was holding Olivia’s hand tightly, his voice gentle. “You should rest more. I know last night was hard on you.” Mrs. Scott, obliviously cheerful, grabbed my hand and gave me a satisfied smile. “Even though you’re not officially married to Charles, you’re still my daughter-in-law. Now hurry up and give the Scott family some grandkids!” Her words were pointed, and Olivia’s face turned even paler. When her gaze fell on the marks on my neck, she froze, her body trembling. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Charles Scott, looks like you had a great time last night!” Slap! Her voice shook as she slapped Charles hard across the face. Before anyone could react, she clutched her chest and suddenly collapsed.

On the second day of my marriage, Olivia slapped Charles in front of his mother. But that wasn’t the real drama. The real drama came when the doctor revealed that Olivia had a congenital heart condition. “I won’t allow this! Divorce her immediately!” Mrs. Scott erupted, furious. She had never liked Olivia, and the revelation of her illness only made things worse. “You knew, didn’t you?” she accused Charles, jabbing a finger at him. “She has heart disease, and you helped her hide it from me! The Scott family can’t have a daughter-in-law who’s sick! She can’t even have children!” Charles lowered his head, trying to explain. “Medical technology is advanced these days. Her condition won’t stop her from having kids—we’ve already consulted doctors…” “It’s already done. She’s my wife and will remain the second Mrs. Scott.” Slap! Mrs. Scott struck Charles across the face with enough force to leave a red mark on his other cheek. Despite her rage and physical outbursts, Charles stood firm. He refused to divorce Olivia. I leaned against the doorway, watching the dramatic scene unfold like a soap opera. When I left the living room, I ran into Olivia, who was leaning against the wall for support. Her eyes were red as she gazed toward the living room, her expression one of bittersweet gratitude. “Even though you tricked him into this marriage, his heart still belongs to me,” she said, turning to face me. Her pale face was full of defiance. “He’s willing to fight his mother for me. That just proves how deep his love is. You’ll never come between us.” I chuckled softly, brushing past her. “I’m not here to break you two up. I’m here to join the family.” Her lips trembled as I walked away, but then she raised her voice, sharp with anger. “I’m his true wife! Even if they call it a two-wife arrangement, you’re nothing but a glorified mistress!” When I didn’t respond, she grew even more hysterical. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you? You’re just shameless! Whatever you can give him, I can give him too!” That night, she dragged Charles into her bedroom, presumably to prove her point. The Scott estate was huge. I lived on the third floor, while she stayed on the second. When I went downstairs for water in the middle of the night, I could hear the sounds coming from her room. The next day, Olivia came to the third floor, her face glowing with satisfaction. She tugged at her collar, “accidentally” revealing the marks on her neck. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” she said with a smirk. “I have his love, and I can satisfy him in ways you never will.” I frowned, glancing at the marks. “You have a heart condition. You really shouldn’t overexert yourself. Especially not around your neck—there are arteries there.” Her smile faltered for a moment before she sneered. “You’re just bitter. Don’t think you’ve won just because his mother likes you. I’ll never let him go!” She stormed off, but as I turned around, I saw Mrs. Scott standing in the hallway. She patted my shoulder with a smile. “Don’t worry. Charles is your husband too. Love will come in time—just be patient.” I blushed and nodded shyly. “With the business deal already in motion, don’t let me down,” she added with a meaningful look. I nodded again, obediently. Once she was out of sight, my smile vanished. I would make sure Charles came to me. But not because I wanted his love. I just wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible.

I was doing everything I could to get pregnant, but Olivia wasn’t giving up her position without a fight. Charles Scott, it seemed, truly adored her. Every time she shed a tear, he’d immediately drop everything to comfort her. She had her emotional leverage, but I had my own tricks. For all his cold, polished demeanor, Charles had no self-control around me. He wasn’t the upright and disciplined man he pretended to be. I knew exactly what he liked, and I used it to my advantage. Olivia stared at the marks on my neck, her eyes red with frustration. “He’s changed. He never used to ignore me like this. But don’t get ahead of yourself—he’s only with you because of family obligations. Deep down, he still loves me. You’ll never take my place.” I looked at her, this woman who clung so desperately to her idea of love, and I almost felt sorry for her. Charles hadn’t changed at all. He had always been this kind of man. Before I married into the Scott family, I’d seen him with countless women—young, bold, and alluring. While the media painted him as a devoted lover, spinning stories about his “pure and passionate romance” with Olivia, reality was far less glamorous. Even now, with two wives, he still carried the faint scent of unfamiliar perfume. Olivia never noticed. She always assumed it was mine. “Olivia, I’ll never hurt you, and I’ll never fight you for him,” I said evenly. “There’s no love between Charles and me. I’m only here for one reason: to give him a child.” She stared at me, stunned. After a long silence, she shook her head. “I don’t believe you,” she said. To her, Charles was perfect—how could anyone not want his love? My persistence paid off. I was finally pregnant. The entire Scott household was overjoyed. Mrs. Scott couldn’t stop grinning as she looked at my growing belly. Even Charles, who was always indifferent toward me, cracked a rare smile. From the second floor, Olivia stood watching us, her face pale as a ghost. That night, the lights in her room stayed on until morning. I opened my window and could faintly hear muffled sobs and voices. “You need to take better care of yourself,” I told her the next day. “Your health is more important than anything else.” “Why is it that I’ve been with Charles longer than you, yet you’re the one who got pregnant first? I’ve been trying so hard, and still—nothing!” She froze at her own words, then suddenly erupted into a furious scream. “You did something, didn’t you? Tell me!” She glared at me with wild, desperate eyes, her voice shaking the walls. “I know it was you! You didn’t want me to have his child, so you sabotaged me!” Her accusations grew louder and more frenzied. I instinctively stepped back, shaken by her outburst. “It’s you! You’re the reason I haven’t been able to get pregnant!” she screamed, her voice cracking. Suddenly, Charles stepped in, pulling me behind him protectively. “Olivia, enough!” he snapped, his voice tight with frustration as he grabbed her arm. “It was me,” he admitted, his tone low. Olivia froze, staring at him in disbelief. “What are you talking about?” “I’ve been putting birth control in your water,” he said, his voice heavy with guilt. “You have a heart condition, Olivia. I didn’t want to risk your health by letting you get pregnant.” Her face twisted with shock. “Why…?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I’ve always wanted to have a child with you!” she cried, her face contorted in pain. Her voice cracked as she screamed, “You did this for her, didn’t you?” She pointed a trembling finger at me, her eyes wild with fury. “You love her! You want her to have your baby because you’ve fallen for her!” Before I could react, she lunged at me. The impact sent us both crashing to the ground. Pain radiated through my abdomen as I hit the floor. A sharp, searing agony shot through my body, and I felt the wet warmth of blood pooling beneath me. Bright red streaks ran down my legs, staining my dress. “Ahh—” Olivia let out a piercing scream and clutched her own stomach, curling into a ball. Both of us lay there on the cold floor, bleeding and broken.

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The rose in my hand fell to the ground as I saw my fiancée, Sophia Sullivan, lying in bed with another man, still wearing her wedding dress. Tomorrow was supposed to be our wedding day. I forced a bitter smile and said, “Do you know this is our marital home?” Sophia replied nonchalantly, “If we’re going for thrills, might as well go all the way. Besides, what can you do now that you’ve found out? You’re just a dog my father raised. Do you dare to divorce me?” I shook my head and turned to leave. She sneered and called me useless. As I closed the door, I could hear the sound of heavy breathing from inside. For years, I had been working under her father, climbing the corporate ladder. Sophia thought she had me under her thumb. What she didn’t know was that her father had been suffering from dementia for the past six months. With my ambition, I had seized all the power. With just one word from me, her family would go bankrupt immediately. I made two phone calls. One was to notify all friends and relatives that tomorrow’s wedding was canceled. The other was to tell my secretary to inform all shareholders that from today on, I would no longer protect the Sullivan family. The shareholders acted quickly. When I came downstairs, I saw Sophia’s driver rushing over. He bowed deeply to me, then got into the Porsche and drove away. Both the car and the driver were gifts from other shareholders to curry favor with her father. Now, Sophia held no value in their eyes. This woman was still upstairs in the throes of passion, unaware that from now on, forget about a Porsche, she wouldn’t even be able to afford a subway ride. Even this marital home was given to Sophia by a property developer who had heard about our wedding and wanted to befriend me. Just as I sat in my own car, I saw a group of property management staff rushing upstairs. This 3000 square foot riverside apartment was no longer a place Sophia could afford to live in. Soon, Sophia was dragged down by security guards, her clothes in disarray. She yelled frantically, “Don’t touch me! What are you doing? Do you know who my father is?” Her father? After I took over the power, her father was nothing. Sophia saw me in the car. She broke free from the security guards and rushed over, banging on my car window, cursing, “Liam Stark, what trick are you playing? I’m going to tell my father right now and make sure you end up with nothing!” This woman still didn’t understand that she was the one who would end up with nothing. The man beside her anxiously said to me, “Liam, Sophia and I have wronged you, but you can’t just kick her out of her home! Even a dog is loyal to those who feed it. Don’t forget how her father promoted you all these years.” I glanced at the man. I knew him. He was Ethan Gray, Sophia’s high school sweetheart. Sophia had truly loved him for many years. I had always known that when Ethan got the opportunity to study abroad, Sophia gave him her first time. That night she got pregnant and had an abortion, crying that she had lost his child. Once, I was devoted to the Sullivan family. Now, I only cared about this business empire. I calmly told my driver, “Let’s go.” As the scenery outside began to recede, Sophia frantically banged on my car window, hysterically shouting, “Liam Stark, at the shareholders’ meeting the day after tomorrow, I’m going to clean house and kick you, you ungrateful bastard, out of the Sullivan family!”

Ungrateful bastard? I laughed. All these years, people thought Mr. Sullivan was promoting me. But they all forgot that years ago, he built his fortune through smuggling and was caught evading taxes. It was my loyal father who took the blame for everything. Perhaps feeling indebted, he took me in as his godson. On my first day in the Sullivan family, Sophia arrogantly said to me, “They say your dad was my dad’s dog. So from today on, you’re my dog.” That day, Mr. Sullivan laughed it off, telling me that kids say the darnedest things and not to take it to heart. From that day on, I lived for the Sullivan family. In front of her classmates, Sophia would call me “puppy,” making me carry her backpack and do her homework. If I showed the slightest resistance, she would angrily announce in front of everyone, “You bastard without a father, if my dad hadn’t taken you in, you’d have starved to death by now. How dare you be so ungrateful!” When I wore new clothes for New Year, she would go around telling everyone that her dad bought my clothes and gave me my New Year’s money. From childhood, I was that loyal dog. When I grew up and entered Sullivan Group, I rose through the ranks quickly. But every step I took was stained with invisible blood, as I eliminated every enemy that posed a threat to Sophia for Mr. Sullivan. I built a throne, just waiting for Sophia to return. All these years, she only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun, letting me pave the way for her. Once she was done playing around, she could directly take the throne. Come to think of it, it’s fortunate that she only cared about having fun, neglecting even her own father. Otherwise, how could I have obtained this vast business empire? The next day, Sophia came, bringing Ethan Gray with her. She pushed open my office door and angrily scolded, “Well, well, Liam Stark, you really dared to cancel the wedding.” I glanced at her and calmly asked, “What’s the matter?” “Where’s my dad? All my cards have been frozen. Ethan had to pay for the cab fare to get here.” I casually replied, “The chairman is out of state for a business deal.” In fact, how could he possibly be on a business trip? He had even forgotten who he was and had long been arranged by me to stay in a nursing home abroad. Sophia looked into my eyes, suddenly laughing in extreme anger, “I was planning to kick you out at tomorrow’s shareholders’ meeting, but I can’t stand the sight of your face anymore. It’s making me sick. Don’t act all high and mighty sitting in that position, get out!” She took out a document and slammed it on my desk. I picked it up and saw it was a personnel appointment letter. “Hereby appoint Mr. Ethan Gray as the assistant to the general manager of our company, to take office immediately upon Mr. Gray’s return to the country.” It was signed by Mr. Sullivan, dated exactly six months ago. Starting directly as the assistant to the general manager, this was clearly aiming for my position, expecting me to train him hands-on. Indeed, Mr. Sullivan only saw me as the Sullivan family’s dog. Sophia sneered, “Let me tell you, you can wear that suit for three more months at most. This chair is for Ethan!” Ethan hypocritically said, “I’m sorry, Sophia said the company was busy and hoped I could come help out. I didn’t know it would be like this.” I nodded and extended my hand to him, “Welcome aboard.” Ethan shook my hand, his face full of triumphant smiles. I withdrew my hand, “But you just stepped into the office with your left foot first, which is not good for the company’s image. Go to HR and process your resignation.” Ethan’s smile gradually froze. Sophia’s eyes widened, “How dare you! You actually fired Ethan!”

I sat in my chair, flipping through documents, and calmly said, “What’s wrong with me firing my assistant?” Ethan was still pretending, he smiled bitterly and said, “Liam.” “Shut up, who are you to call me Liam?” “Alright, Mr. Stark, I understand you’re angry with me, but this is Mr. Sullivan’s appointment. If you fire me directly now, you might look bad at tomorrow’s shareholders’ meeting.” “Will I?” I took out my phone, opened the camera, and looked at my face, then said seriously, “I think I look quite handsome. My chin and dimples are the most charming.” He stood there dumbfounded, his mouth agape. Sophia angrily pushed all the documents on my desk to the floor, cursing, “Liam Stark! Do you really think you’re the general manager of our family business? Let me tell you the truth, the reason I dated and was going to marry you was only because my dad saw that you had built a team of elites and wanted to win people’s hearts first. Now that the company is on track, we don’t need you anymore!” I nodded, I had known this all along. She continued to sneer, “You’re about to become a pauper. Why do you think I made you sign a prenuptial agreement? Whether we get married or divorced, our assets remain separate! Poor thing, you won’t even be able to afford a bowl of ramen soon!” Hearing this, I laughed out loud. Thank goodness for the prenuptial agreement. “You still dare to laugh?” Sophia was about to throw another fit, but I just stood up and adjusted my tie, “Sorry, I have a meeting to attend, so I can’t keep you company.” Ethan sighed, “Liam, I know you still can’t accept this, so I’ll come to take the position tomorrow. Don’t worry, you’re talented. After I become the general manager in three months, I’ll still arrange for you to assist me.” I couldn’t be bothered to respond to him and just turned to leave, making a call to my secretary. When the call connected, I asked, “How are things going?” The secretary respectfully said, “From tomorrow on, there will be no more Sullivan family.” “Mm, arrange a car for tomorrow morning.” “The shareholders’ meeting starts in the morning, where are you going?” “To the prison, to pick someone up.”

At the prison gate. I sat in the Maybach, looking over the planning documents for tomorrow. As the prison gates opened, my father walked out carrying a bag, dressed plainly. The secretary hurried over to carry his bag, while he came to my side, touching the car door, and sighed, “Mr. Sullivan is so kind, letting you ride in such an expensive car.” I calmly said, “Get in.” He sat in the car somewhat awkwardly, even wiping the seat, “I’m dirty, don’t want to soil Mr. Sullivan’s car. Son, I’m really relieved I left you with Mr. Sullivan, look how well he’s raised you.” “Raised me?” I laughed coldly, “In middle school, Sophia forced me to wash her feet in front of her classmates to show off that she had a servant, and wanted me to drink her foot-washing water. When I refused, she slapped me three times in public. When her father found out, he just told her not to joke around. Is that what you call raising me? “I studied hard and got into a top university. Because she needed someone to serve her, I was arranged to go to a third-rate college. While I was cleaning her dorm, she was in a hotel serving her dear Ethan. After her abortion, when she was weak, she still ordered me around. Is that what you call raising me? “I’ll never forget the taste of that foot-washing water. I’ll never forget the humiliation I suffered as a man.” The smile on my father’s face gradually froze. He said quietly, “You can’t be ungrateful. Look at you now, dressed to the nines, all thanks to the Sullivan family’s help.” I remained silent. We were on different paths, incompatible. My father had been loyal to the Sullivan family for decades, happy to gnaw on any bone they threw him. But I was different. After all the hardships I’d endured, all the bullying I’d suffered, no one could stand above me anymore! I brought him here today to let him witness with his own eyes the fall of the Sullivan family, and see me rise to the top! When the car arrived at the entrance of Sullivan Group, Sophia and Ethan were already waiting there. As soon as my father saw Sophia, he humbly approached her, “Sophia, you’ve grown so big.” Sophia looked at him with disgust, “Mister, who are you? How do you know me?” “I’m your Uncle Stark! Mr. Sullivan came to see me five years ago and showed me your photo. I recognized you at first glance.” Sophia suddenly realized, she sneered, “Uncle Stark, you’ve really done a great job raising your son!” My father didn’t catch her sarcasm, he flattered her, “It’s all thanks to you and Mr. Sullivan’s care.” Sophia looked at me haughtily, then suddenly said to my father, “I’m thirsty, go buy me a bottle of water.” “Alright, uncle will go right away.” I watched as my father humbly ran off to buy water for Sophia, while she gave me a cold smile, “See that? Your dad is better at being a servant than you are.”

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On Christmas Eve, my husband, Jonathan Perez, and I fought because of his brother’s wife, Stella Perez. Stella had bought his mom a gold necklace, but I didn’t prepare anything. Jonathan felt I made him lose face in front of his family. I didn’t cut him any slack and retorted, “You never gave me an engagement gift!” My words totally shut him up. My husband, Jonathan Perez, and I were college classmates. When we were planning to get married, and my family asked for an engagement gift worth one hundred and eighty thousand dollars, Jonathan got annoyed right away. He said, “No way. Your parents are selling you. I don’t have the money, and I’m not about to ask my parents for such a huge sum. They’ve saved up their money with so much trouble. If I take it all, I’ll be a total jerk. If you want it, I’ll borrow the money, and we’ll pay it back together later.” He kept trying to convince me that we shouldn’t use our parents’ savings and said he couldn’t bring himself to use his parents’ life savings to marry me. Finally, he came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea: that we could adopt a two-sided marriage, in which the couple maintained close ties with their respective families of origin after marriage, without being forced to fully integrate into each other’s families, and there were no engagement gifts, no wedding gifts, and an equal sharing of household chores. At that time, I just thought Jonathan was so filial and sensible. Without thinking twice, I agreed. At first, things were nice. We kept our finances separate and shared the housework equally. But a few months later, conflicts started. It all began when my mother, Penelope Bennett’s birthday was approaching. I asked Jonathan what gift he was planning to give Penelope. For some reason, that question set him off, and he yelled, “Emilia Bennett, have you forgotten? We have a two-sided marriage. We agreed to take care of our own parents. Now, you’re trying to get money out of me again. Is your family that broke? You’re always eyeing other people’s wallets.” Jonathan’s words were so mean that my face turned red with anger. “Why are you being so nasty? You married me, so my parents are your parents, too. Can’t you do something on their birthdays?” To be honest, I had no clue what a two-sided marriage really was. At first, I thought it was just like a bare-bones marriage. After being scolded by Jonathan, I was completely dazed. He said, “I can do something willingly, but you can’t ask for that. Besides, with our two-sided marriage, we agreed to handle our own relatives. It’s not my duty to give gifts. If I do, it’s just out of kindness.” Seeing my unhappy face, Jonathan finally softened his tone a bit. “Sorry. I know I was a bit harsh, but I made it clear before we got married. You can’t break the rules.” Seeing how sure of himself Jonathan looked, I finally realized something was off. “Are you saying that with our two-sided marriage, I don’t have to do anything for your parents on their birthdays or during holidays?” “Of course. We agreed to take care of our own parents. I’m not going to break the rules,” Jonathan said, raising his chin, looking all cocky. “Then why didn’t you say anything when I bought your mom clothes and supplements on Mother’s Day?” I asked. Jonathan blushed under my gaze. After a while, he tried to argue, saying, “That was just your kindness to my mom. After all, you’re my wife.” “Well, you’re my husband. Aren’t you going to show your kindness on my mom’s birthday?” I was so angry that I shouted. “I already told you. I can do it willingly, but you can’t ask for that. I was going to. But since you asked, I won’t. Figure out what to do for your mom’s birthday by yourself. I won’t show up that day,” Jonathan said with a cold face, trying to intimidate me.

I didn’t want to bother with him and just said, “Suit yourself.” Sure enough, on Penelope’s birthday, Jonathan didn’t show up. He didn’t even send a WhatsApp message to wish her a happy birthday. To keep Penelope’s birthday party from being spoiled, I muddled through with vague excuses. After all the relatives had left, I told my parents the whole story. At first, I could tell it calmly. But as I went on, my tears streamed down. I shouted, “Mom, Dad, I had no idea a two-sided marriage was like this before. I thought it just meant no engagement gift or wedding gift. The last time his family came over, I did everything, from booking the hotel to showing them around. I never thought that when it came to our family matters, he’d just say I couldn’t ask him to do something. He’s such a jerk!” That night, the more I talked, the angrier I got, cussing like crazy. I thought my parents would angrily side with me against Jonathan. But to my surprise, they were much calmer than I expected. Penelope said, “Don’t cry. Isn’t this a good thing? From now on, you don’t have to worry about what to give Jonathan’s parents during the holidays. Let him handle his family’s affairs. That’s pretty great, isn’t it?” I never thought my parents would be so open-minded. They broke it down for me, and I suddenly saw the light.

After that, I completely changed my attitude toward Jonathan’s family. No more gifts and no more greetings; I even left their family group chat. The moment I left, Jonathan got upset. “Emilia, why’d you leave the group chat? What if my parents need to reach you?” Jonathan burst through the door after work, demanding answers. I retorted, “Why would they need me? They have you, don’t they? We agreed on a two-sided marriage with no interference. Besides, you never joined my family’s group chat.” Jonathan was completely stumped by my logic, unable to come up with a response for quite a while. Finally, he gave me a long look before disappearing into the study to make a call. I didn’t know what he said, but he stopped bugging me about the group chat after that. Once I stopped dealing with Jonathan’s family affairs, I felt relaxed. After work, I’d cook if I was in a good mood or just order takeout if I wasn’t. One day, Jonathan came home to find I’d ordered Fish and Chips. His face immediately became serious. “Takeout again? That’s so unhealthy. My doctor just told me I have liver issues and shouldn’t eat such food. Can’t you think about me for once?” “Then don’t eat it! The kitchen’s right there. Cook something yourself!” I snapped, rolling my eyes. Hearing that, Jonathan completely got angry. “I’m already exhausted from work, and now I have to cook? Can’t you be like other wives, handling things at home and giving me a comfortable place to come back to?” Hearing Jonathan’s demands, I rolled my eyes and sneered, “Please, dude. Other men’s wives got fancy engagement gifts, so naturally, they went the extra mile. You never gave me anything. We have a two-sided marriage. You can’t just have everything you want.” Jonathan’s face turned ashen again, completely stunned by my comeback. Finally, he slammed the door and left.

After that, Jonathan and I pretty much ignored each other. But right before Christmas, Jonathan finally gave in and sent me five hundred dollars. I was shocked when I saw the notification. “Why did you send me money?” During the three months we were married, we kept our finances super clear. So, honestly, after getting such a big transfer out of nowhere, my first thought wasn’t joy but suspicion. I thought, “What’s he planning now?” “My year-end bonus came in. Can’t I send you some money?” Jonathan rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. His words made my suspicion just now seem petty. I felt a bit embarrassed and awkwardly scratched my head. That transfer was the start of us warming up again, like before we got married. But that didn’t last long. A week later, new problems cropped up. One night, just as I was about to fall asleep, Jonathan suddenly whispered in my ear, “Honey, how about spending Christmas with my family this year? Next year, we can go to yours. How’s that sound?” He sounded so careful like he was worried I’d say no. Honestly, I didn’t care where we spent Christmas. My parents’ place was just a neighborhood away, and I often went there for meals. However, with the tension between Jonathan and me, I hadn’t thought about getting along with his family. Now, going there for Christmas… My expression was a bit mixed. Jonathan noticed my hesitation and quickly added, “Honey, even though I said we’d do our own thing for Christmas, this is our first year married. If you don’t come with me, my parents will feel embarrassed in the village.” Jonathan sounded so pitiful that I couldn’t help but agree, “Alright, we’ll go to your place this year. But remember, it’s my turn next year. After Christmas, I’m heading back home. You have to come with me, and don’t even think about backing out.” Jonathan nodded eagerly, patting his chest to promise he wouldn’t. Jonathan’s place wasn’t too far from where we worked, just about 40 miles away. It would take around an hour to drive there. Since it was not that far, I didn’t bring much. But I didn’t expect Jonathan to look so annoyed when he saw me getting into the car with just one bag. “Only one bag?” Jonathan circled me a few times before hitting me with the question. “What? Your place isn’t that far. What’s wrong with just one set of clothes?” I asked back. He shouted anxiously, “I saw you buying a bunch of stuff yesterday, like fish oil, high-end red wine, and lobster. Where are those? Are you planning to let them rot at home?”

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When I was 13, my father sacrificed his life in the line of duty. His former student, Lucas Stone, adopted me and asked me to call him “uncle”. I always thought we were destined for each other, until the day I confessed my feelings and was harshly rejected. Lucas looked at me with disgust and annoyance: “Aria Collins, there’s nothing between us except our uncle-niece relationship! You’ve crossed the line!” “Know your place. You’ve been clinging to me for 5 years because of your father’s connection to me. Isn’t it time you let me go?” Humiliated and embarrassed, I changed my college plans and left without a word. Later, Lucas grabbed my shoulders hysterically: “You confess to me and then just leave? What am I to you?” But I only looked at Lucas calmly: “You’re family to me, my most respected uncle.” At my birthday party, I sat in a corner sofa checking messages on my phone: [Uncle Lucas, it’s my 21st birthday today. Can you come?] But Uncle Lucas hadn’t replied. Just as I was debating whether to call him, voices sounded from outside. Lucas had arrived, but he was followed by Wendy Sinclair – the doctor he had agreed to date yesterday and publicly announced on social media. His doting gaze remained on Wendy the whole time. “Aria, happy birthday!” Wendy smiled gently and handed me a gift box. Lucas finally turned to glance at me: “Your aunt brought you a gift. Aren’t you going to open it and say thank you?” His cold tone was the same as when he rejected my confession last month. The bitterness in my heart was indescribable. When I opened the gift box, I froze. It was adoption papers with my name on one page. This meant that from today on, I would officially become Lucas’s family member. These adoption papers cut off all my hopes for Lucas… I looked up at him in disbelief. “Aria, the idea of adoption was my suggestion. Don’t blame Lucas, okay?” Wendy spoke up. “You’ve been with Lucas for many years. It’s time for you to become part of the Stone family officially. So adopting you is a good thing.” “After becoming part of the family, you’ll have more confidence. When you interact with people outside, you’ll realize who truly cares about you.” Wendy’s meaningful words sent chills down my spine. Did Lucas tell Wendy about my confession to him last month? Otherwise, why would she give me these adoption papers? But just because I confessed, did Lucas want me to cut off all my feelings? Was I so despicable in his eyes? Tears welled up in my eyes, but Lucas still looked at me coldly. “Aren’t you going to thank your aunt?” I felt extremely awkward, but still forced a smile and looked at Wendy, holding back tears. “Thank you, Aunt Wendy. I… I like the gift very much.” Wendy smiled gently, “I’m glad you like it!” “Aria Collins, take the adoption papers.” Lucas spoke up. “From now on, you’re part of the Stone family. Consider the consequences of your actions. Behave yourself!” My throat tightened as I trembled, picking up the adoption papers. The black and white letters spelling “Aria Collins” stung my eyes. When I looked up again, Lucas was leading Wendy to the center of the dance floor. The handsome man and beautiful woman made a perfect couple, quickly becoming the focus of attention. Everyone seemed to have forgotten it was my birthday. Watching Lucas dance, my heart ached unbearably. The affection he showed Wendy was something I once had. I still remember when my father sacrificed his life on the border, When distant relatives tried to sell me off to loan sharks, Lucas appeared like a savior, claiming I was his. I remember when I struggled with academic problems, Lucas sought out experts in the field to tutor me. I even remember when I was writhing in pain from menstrual cramps, Lucas turned his blushing face away while massaging my abdomen with his warm hands. It’s my fault for mistaking his care for love. We’re not that far apart in age, only 6 years difference. I always thought he liked me too, so I confessed like a moth to a flame. But all I got was his cold words: “Aria Collins, there’s nothing between us except our uncle-niece relationship! You’ve crossed the line!” “I don’t understand how you could have such a disgusting idea. You disappoint me!” Those two sentences made my blood run cold, utterly humiliated. But I don’t understand, if Lucas didn’t like me, Why did he do things that made me misunderstand? Why didn’t he adopt me officially from the very beginning? If he didn’t like me, He wouldn’t have accepted the Valentine’s chocolate I gave him when I was 16, He wouldn’t have worn the scarf I knitted for him when I was 18, And he certainly wouldn’t have blushed while buying me a necklace engraved with “lock you in my heart”. A sudden gasp from the crowd snapped me back to reality. I looked up to see Lucas down on one knee in the middle of the dance floor, proposing to Wendy! My heart clenched painfully as tears I’d been holding back finally fell. So this is what Lucas looks like when he truly loves someone. All this time, I’ve just been deluding myself…

Lucas and Wendy became the center of attention at the party. I, the host, wandered the empty streets like a lost soul late at night. By the time I returned to my rented apartment, it was past midnight. My birthday had ended just like that. My tears were almost dried up. I sat in the living room all night, Not even realizing when I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already daylight, but I found myself lying in bed. I was sure I hadn’t sleepwalked, and my memory was perfect. I definitely hadn’t woken up in the middle to go back to bed. As I pondered this, I caught a whiff of a familiar scent. It was the Burberry cologne Lucas always wore. Had Lucas been here? But he didn’t know the address of my apartment. Maybe I was overthinking it. I tidied up a bit, preparing to go to work at the hospital. When I opened the door, I found cigarette butts scattered on the ground. It was Lucas’s favorite brand. He really had been here! I rushed downstairs eagerly, and sure enough, I saw Lucas about to leave at the entrance. “Lucas!” I called out. He froze in place. I ran towards him, my heart pounding wildly. I wasn’t sure if it was from running, Or from grasping at the last straw of hope. “You came yesterday? How did you know my apartment address? When did you find out I moved out?” Lucas lowered his head slightly, his eyes cold and indifferent. “Aria Collins, I’m not blind. I can see when things are missing from my home.” Lucas rubbed his brow, his tone irritated: “Did you see what I did at the party yesterday?” I had a bad feeling, but still nodded. The next second, Lucas’s cold tone shattered my illusions: “I did that to let you know I could never be so depraved as to have feelings for you.” “Last night was because Wendy noticed you were missing and made me check the security cameras to find you. Aria Collins, drop that self-righteous look on your face.” “From now on, please keep your distance from me. Do you understand?” My ears were ringing. By the time he disappeared from my sight, I came back to my senses, tears already soaking my collar. So Lucas truly despised me to the extreme, Not even willing to spare me a glance… The adult world is cruel. No matter how upset I was, I couldn’t let it affect my work. When I arrived at the hospital, the usually quiet doctors’ office was buzzing with excitement. “Aria, did you hear? A brilliant doctor is coming today! They say she’s also transferring from a military hospital!” Military hospital? My heart skipped a beat. For some reason, Wendy’s face flashed through my mind. The next second, an excited male doctor looked towards the door: “She’s here!” I turned to look, my heart sinking. It really was Wendy! The deputy director spoke up: “Starting today, Dr. Sinclair will be working with you all. She’s top in her field of internal medicine, and will be your superior.” “If you have any questions in the future, you can ask Dr. Sinclair. Please show mutual respect and help each other!” Everyone warmly welcomed Wendy’s arrival. After the deputy director left, They all flocked around her. Only I stood to the side. In this office, except for me who had just become a full-time doctor, The others had all transferred from military hospitals before. So I, who already had little in common with them, now felt even more out of place. As I was organizing patient files, Wendy’s voice sounded behind me: “Aria.” I turned around. Wendy smiled faintly, “Even though we’re family now, as your superior, I’ll be very strict with you!” I forced a slight smile in response, but my mind was in turmoil. If Wendy worked here, it meant Lucas would probably come pick her up after work, right? Doctors aren’t supposed to let personal feelings interfere with work. I tried my best to suppress my thoughts and focus on my job. The peaceful days passed uneventfully for a while. One day when I arrived at the hospital for work, I had just opened the door When I saw Wendy furtively hiding something. I found it strange, but didn’t think too much of it. After everyone arrived, we entered the operating room to prepare. For some reason, Wendy only allowed me, the anesthesiologist, and another male doctor to enter the operating room. Before the surgery began, she turned off the surveillance cameras inside. “The patient requested privacy and specifically asked us not to record the surgery,” Wendy said calmly. “Alright, let’s begin!” The surgery proceeded smoothly as usual. But suddenly, Wendy spoke up: “Aria Collins, you take over.” I was stunned. Me? I had just become a full-time doctor, and she wanted me to use the scalpel? Wendy handed me the scalpel. “20% of the patient’s stomach is currently necrotic. Remove it all and insert an artificial stomach!” I was dumbfounded. Although 20% of the patient’s stomach was necrotic, it could still digest normally. It would make the patient weak and restrict their diet somewhat, But installing an artificial stomach as Wendy suggested would only increase the patient’s suffering. It wouldn’t solve the root of the patient’s problem at all! “Wendy, are you crazy? How would this help the patient’s condition?” I asked in disbelief. But Wendy didn’t even flinch. “I have my reasons for doing this. With me supervising, what are you afraid of?” I turned to look at the anesthesiologist and the other male doctor who had a crush on Wendy. They acted as if they hadn’t heard anything. “Aria Collins, hurry up! Don’t waste time, the patient’s blood pressure is dropping!” Wendy said impatiently. I felt something was very wrong. I held the scalpel but couldn’t bring myself to make the incision. “Tch, Aria Collins, can you do it or not? If not, I’ll do it!” The male doctor snatched the scalpel and shoved me aside. I stumbled back, only able to hand over surgical tools from the side. Half an hour later, the surgery was complete and the patient was moved to intensive care. As Wendy left the operating room, she gave me a meaningful look. I was confused, suddenly feeling uneasy. It wasn’t until 3 days later that I realized that uneasiness wasn’t unfounded.

Today was my shift. But as soon as I entered the hospital, people were pointing and whispering about me. Even some patients looked at me strangely. I was puzzled. When I opened the office door, I found the deputy director standing there with a grim expression. Next to him was someone I never expected to see – Lucas! “…Uncle Lucas?” How could he be here? Before I could react, the deputy director walked towards me. “Aria Collins, you’ve disappointed me greatly!” “Why did you remove the patient’s entire stomach and install an artificial one during gastric surgery? Don’t you know the patient died from infection after the artificial stomach replacement?!” I was stunned, frozen in place. “Deputy Director, this is my fault. I couldn’t change Aria’s decision,” Wendy spoke up before I could respond. “Aria is still young and didn’t know the consequences of her actions. As her family and superior, I’m willing to apologize to the deceased’s family with Aria and take responsibility!” Wendy bowed to the deputy director, her face full of remorse. I stared at Wendy in disbelief. How could she lie so convincingly? It wasn’t me at all! “Deputy Director, removing the patient’s stomach and installing an artificial one wasn’t my decision or my surgery!” The injustice overwhelmed me as I choked out, “It was Dr. Johnson who pushed me aside and performed the surgery following Wendy’s instructions. I didn’t even touch the patient!” “What nonsense are you saying?!” Dr. Johnson spoke up to refute me, but I didn’t miss the flicker of evasion in his eyes. “Dr. Sinclair clearly called your name to perform the surgery. I saw it all. How can you make up such lies?” My blood ran cold as realization dawned. So that’s how it was… This Dr. Johnson didn’t actually have the skills to perform surgery, but Wendy called him in to do it. No wonder he was allowed in the operating room. They had conspired together! “Aria Collins, this is a serious violation of protocol!” The deputy director grew even more severe. His gaze towards me became increasingly fierce. “I didn’t do it!” I insisted firmly. “I swear on my integrity and career that I raised objections before the incident.” “But Wendy didn’t listen to me at all. Deputy Director, you can’t trust Wendy’s one-sided account!” “Then can you prove what you’re saying now? Do you have any evidence?!” The deputy director roared. That angry shout left me stunned once again. That’s right… Wendy had turned off the surveillance cameras in the operating room before the surgery… There was no way to prove what really happened. I was helpless to defend myself. “Enough!” The deputy director waved his hand, the anger on his face undiminished. “Dr. Sinclair, you must take Aria Collins to apologize to the deceased’s family and discuss compensation!” The deputy director turned and left, not giving me any chance to explain. I turned to find Lucas looking at me, his eyes filled with unconcealed disappointment and contempt. It made my blood run cold all over again.

“Uncle Lucas, it wasn’t me! You have to believe me!” I desperately grabbed Lucas’s sleeve. “Uncle Lucas, think about it. What wrong have I ever done all these years? Have I ever caused you any trouble?” “You can’t just believe Wendy’s words. Uncle Lucas—” “Enough!” Lucas’s low voice cut me off angrily. “Aria Collins, your lies won’t fool anyone. Don’t try to blame Wendy!” Tears fell as my heart felt like it was being ripped apart. “Uncle Lucas, you’d rather believe Wendy than trust all the years we spent together?” Lucas frowned deeply. “Aria Collins, I won’t believe your words. As I see it, you resent that I accepted Wendy’s confession and are taking it out on her.” “You’re hypocritical and vicious. I now realize adopting you was the biggest mistake I ever made!” My mind went blank, ears ringing. I didn’t even hear Lucas’s next words. I only saw his lips moving, but his eyes were ice cold. So this is how Lucas saw me? Because of his misleading actions, I mistakenly thought he liked me. But after I confessed, he treated me like poison. In his eyes, I was just a dog to be summoned and dismissed at will. All these years of me loving him were just a joke… My heart felt dead. I didn’t even notice when Wendy pulled me outside. When I came to my senses, we were standing in the stairwell. The smile on Wendy’s face from earlier had completely vanished, Replaced by a vicious and malicious expression. “Aria Collins, aren’t you shameless? Clinging on like a parasite. Have you forgotten our little chat from before?” I looked at her calmly. “Wendy Sinclair, what goes around comes around. All the terrible things you’ve done will be exposed one day.” “Instead of threatening me, you should work on improving your own skills!” But Wendy just laughed silently. Her eyes were full of malice and excitement. “No, there will never be a day of exposure.” Hearing her words, my uneasiness grew to its peak. I instinctively tried to leave, but Wendy grabbed my hand and shoved something cold into it. My heart jumped in panic. I looked down to find a kitchen knife, polished to a shine! The fear and dread in my heart reached its limit. What was this woman planning to do?! The next second, Wendy placed her hand on the sharp blade and yanked hard. Blood gushed out like a faucet turned on! “Ahhhh Aria Collins, what are you doing?!” I was stunned. Her movements were too fast, I had no time to react! Lucas burst through the door at that moment. Seeing Wendy’s bloody hands, he looked at me in disbelief. “Aria Collins, what have you done?!” Lucas shoved me aside roughly. My lower back slammed into the edge of another knife on the kitchen counter. I cried out in pain. But Lucas paid me no attention. He anxiously helped Wendy up from the ground. Wendy was already crying, her face covered in tears. “Lucas, Lucas it hurts so much…” “Lucas, my hands… I need them for surgery! Aria, you…”

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I ordered a new double bed online but forgot to select the assembly service. Accidentally, I sent the message to my ex-boyfriend. He came over without hesitation. After finishing the assembly, he suggested we test if the bed was sturdy enough. “How do we test it?” I asked innocently. The man pulled me onto his lap. “Didn’t you invite me over to try it out?” This was incredibly awkward. I blushed and explained, “You misunderstood. I just broke this bed last night.” The bed collapsed in the middle of the night. I picked out a new double bed online. It was delivered the very next day. The large package took up half my bedroom. I stared at my phone screen in disbelief. [Dear customer, you didn’t select the assembly service.] I had been too hasty in ordering. It was getting dark, and I couldn’t find any handymen available. I forwarded the customer service chat screenshot to the culprit from last night. “Can you come back to assemble the bed?” I also sent a photo of my bedroom. He typed for a long time before replying with seven words. “You’re asking me to do this?” Why shouldn’t I ask him? He was the one who broke it yesterday. “If you set it up quickly, you can come sleep here.” Two minutes later, he responded. “I’ll be there in 15 minutes.” Time flew by, and soon the doorbell rang three times. Wearing a lacy nightgown and no slippers, I went to open the door. James appeared in the doorway, his gaze scrutinizing me. “Is this how you greet your ex-boyfriend?” I froze in shock. How did my ex-boyfriend end up coming?

James and I had broken up about a year ago. I had sent the message to him by mistake. It was all because these two men used the same plain black profile picture. “How much stuff did you pile on the bed to make it collapse?” James asked casually as he unpacked the delivery. “Quite a lot of clothes, I guess.” I decided not to tell James the real reason. It would be strange to explain a broken bed to my ex-boyfriend. The air conditioning was on full blast, but assembling a double bed was still quite laborious. James was drenched in sweat. I inadvertently glanced at his back. His muscular build was visible through the sweat-soaked shirt – broad shoulders and a slim waist. I took a sip of water and averted my gaze. My ex was indeed handsome. But I broke up with him because he was too boring. Not only was he always busy with work, but he was also unimaginative in bed. The same old rigid position every time. Lights off, not a word spoken. He wouldn’t even let me call him “Dr. James”. It was just too dull. In the end, I couldn’t take it anymore. I brought up breaking up right after we finished. James sat on the edge of the bed, buttoning up his shirt. He was silent for a while, not even turning to look at me. “Are you serious?” he finally asked. “I am.” Nine words. And that was it. We broke up. He was a man who was even dull when breaking up. “It’s all set up,” James’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He was quite handy – he had even made the bed. James sat on the bed, hands gripping the edge, and bounced up and down forcefully. The new double bed let out a series of suggestive creaks. He turned his head slightly, lips curling into a smile, and patted the spot beside him. “Want to try it out? See if it’s sturdy?” Was this guy acting weird?

I hesitantly sat down next to James. Like him, I bounced up and down on the bed, awkwardly trying it three or four times. James seemed to be staring at me. I was too embarrassed to look up. What was wrong with me? Testing the bed with my ex-boyfriend? “How do we test it?” I was about to stand up and ask him to leave. An arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back. I fell backwards, landing on his slightly parted legs. His warm breath tickled my ear as he whispered, “Didn’t you invite me over to try it out?” I hadn’t misunderstood after all. James had really changed – he’d become quite flirtatious. Even now, I could feel an obvious change in him beneath me. My face turned bright red. “You must have misunderstood. I broke this bed last night too.” I had just sent the message to the wrong person. James wasn’t really listening to me, just nuzzling my neck with the tip of his nose. “You said once I finished assembling it, I could come sleep here… Does that mean you want to get back together?” I was stunned. Get back together with him? If he hadn’t suddenly shown up, I honestly hadn’t considered it. But if you asked if I wanted to, well, I had just thought about it. James pulled my legs over, making me sit sideways on his lap. He lowered his head slightly, his cool lips landing on my forehead, then moving to my cheek, chin, and neck. I was dazed by his kisses, my fingers clutching his sleeves tightly. I had to admit, James’s kissing skills had improved a lot. My phone on the side rang at the most inopportune moment. A message popped up on the screen. “Sis, is the new bed set up? I’ll come take a look.” “I won’t be so rough tonight.” With one arm around James and the other quickly replying to the message, I typed: “Not done yet, don’t come.” Don’t ruin my good thing. I turned off my phone and realized this guy had stopped moving. James’s brows were furrowed noticeably, his hands loosening their grip slightly. I was about to lean in to kiss him again. “Who’s that?” He held my forehead back with two fingers. “How did your bed break?” I spread my hands, telling the truth. “Just a guy friend. He was a bit too rough on the bed, that’s how it ended up like this.”

The shower was running loudly. James had pushed me away earlier and gone to take a shower. He came out after a long while. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony, wearing only a white towel around his waist, waiting for his clothes to dry. “Are you leaving?” I didn’t understand his thinking anymore. Wasn’t he about to do it with me earlier? James looked up coldly: “What do you think?” It seemed like he was angry. But who had offended him? I hesitated for a while, looking down at my phone. “Then I’ll transfer you some money. Thanks for your help today.” Ryan’s voice call came through. I answered casually: “Mm, okay, you can come over tonight. Yeah, it’s all good.” I hung up the phone. At some point, James had come to stand in front of me, staring at me strangely. “What kind of person are you?” “What kind of person am I?” “I just finished assembling the bed, haven’t even put my clothes on, and you’re already asking someone else to come over?” I glanced at the countdown timer on the dryer. “It’ll take him half an hour to get here. You’ll be gone in 15 minutes max. You won’t even cross paths.” James stared at me intently, his lips pressed into a straight line as he snorted coldly. I understood then – Did he want to do something with me but felt interrupted by an outsider? Or did he think I wasn’t being proactive enough and ruined his mood? After all, James was quite conservative when it came to that stuff. I coughed lightly: “How about I make up an excuse and tell him not to come back today? What do you think?” That should save his face. The dryer beeped. James’s expression stiffened as he hurriedly put on his shirt and buttoned it up, then bent down to put on his pants. “Let me tell you, Lily, you’ve got the wrong idea about me.” How strange. I couldn’t keep face either anymore. “I don’t know where this chaste man came from.” James was stunned into silence by my retort. His face darkened as he opened the door to leave, but suddenly stopped in his tracks. Ryan, who was about to knock, was visibly startled. “Dr. James, what are you doing here?” “Ryan?” James frowned. “You two know each other?”

“Sis, remember I just started my internship? Dr. James is my supervising doctor.” James was a doctor. Ryan was a medical student. I hadn’t thought about James being Ryan’s supervisor. He turned back to look at me, then asked Ryan: “So, you live here with her?” “Yeah. It’s close to the hospital and convenient for commuting.” James’s expression grew even more displeased. He used to live here with me too, before I kicked him out. Ryan looked back and forth between me and James. “Dr. James, what brings you here?” James maintained an odd silence. I answered for him: “Oh, he came to assemble the bed. It’s all done now.” James probably felt embarrassed and quickly fled. Ryan stood there bewildered. “Sis, you called the youngest associate professor in the whole hospital to assemble your bed?” “He volunteered.” I was getting a bit annoyed. Ryan lowered his head and sighed. “Did the professor accidentally take my slippers?” That pair of men’s dress shoes was neatly placed by the door. I wanted to contact James on social media, but he had blocked me. Ryan put down the cat food. After a while, Mimi came crawling out. Yesterday Mimi had brought a bug onto the bed. Ryan chased it all night, trampling the bed in the process. Ryan felt very apologetic. I was quite calm: “It’ll come out of your deposit.” By nighttime, I was tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Ryan let out a scream from the bathroom. “Damn, the water’s freezing!” James must have taken a cold shower this afternoon. I knew James had blocked me, so I sent him some weird messages. “Dr. James takes care of himself and leaves me hanging? What an asshole.” It was all sexually frustrated complaints. Message sent. Sent successfully. I froze for a moment, then quickly tried to recall the message. He had unblocked me. I wonder if he saw it? I tentatively tested the waters: “Just wanted to let you know, you left your shoes at my place.” James’s messages came flooding in. “I saw it.” “I’m not coming over.” “Don’t send me stuff like that late at night.” “Ryan is my student.” So he did see it after all. Is this his post-nut clarity? His tone is so cold. And what does it matter if Ryan’s his student?

Ryan had just finished showering and brought over some takeout crawfish, calling me out to eat a late night snack. I sent James a message. “Got it. Ryan’s calling me, can’t chat anymore.” My hands were busy peeling crawfish, so I couldn’t reply to messages. After finishing the snack, it was almost 11 pm. I finally saw the message James had sent two hours ago. “I’m an amateur. The bed was just assembled, it might not be safe.” James really is a good teacher, so concerned about Ryan’s wellbeing. I replied directly: “Just saw your message. I’ll tell him to be careful.” It showed he was “typing” on the other end. He was typing for a really long time. I waited earnestly for his reply. To my surprise, James video called me instead. I was in the bathroom washing my hands at the sink. My face was reflected in the phone screen. My whole face was flushed red from the spicy food, and my lips were slightly swollen. I quickly turned off the water. James stared at me intently, his gaze extremely sharp with a hint of frost. “He used you for two hours… Are you still up for it? Come out and meet me for round two?”

I looked at the time. It was almost midnight. Go out for a late night snack with my ex-boyfriend? “No thanks, I’m full.” James leaned back in the armchair, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Full? You’re really something, just using me as a tool.” His phone seemed to be placed on the coffee table. The camera angle was tilted upwards, not capturing James’s face. It only showed his strong thighs, pale wrists, slightly raised chin, and sharp Adam’s apple. What a strange female gaze angle, as if I was kneeling in front of him. I didn’t listen to a word he said, just silently took screenshots. “Sis, who are you video chatting with?” Ryan passed by the door, his gaze landing on my phone screen. “It’s nothing.” I hung up guiltily. Living with a young guy, I had to maintain boundaries to avoid him getting any ideas about paying rent with his body. Ryan leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, looking at me with interest. “I saw you taking screenshots. Sis, you should find a real boyfriend instead of video chatting with thirst traps.” I shook the water off my hands: “He’s not a thirst trap, he’s…” He’s your supervisor. Kids these days, so disrespectful. Ryan raised an eyebrow: “Is he the landlady’s boyfriend?” “No, just a friend,” I said as I walked past him. Ryan turned his head to let me through. “What kind of friend?” he said shamelessly, “The kind you video chat with and only look at their crotch?” “Can you not be so crude?” I snapped. If it weren’t for his sister being my boss, I’d kick him out right now. “Be careful sis, don’t let anyone record you…” Ryan gave me a meaningful look. What did he think I was doing? Do kids these days only have dirty thoughts? He suddenly came very close to me and blinked. “If you need anything, why not ask me? I’m young, clean, and free.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.” I had zero interest in my boss’s brother. Even if I did have needs, I had someone else in mind. “I just got caught by your student. I’m back in my room now, still want to video chat?” I lay on the bed texting Dr. James. “Did you two… argue because of me?” “Argue about what? You’re overthinking it. He didn’t even realize it was you.” “Oh.” The conversation was abruptly cut off. No matter what messages I sent after that, James wouldn’t reply. I glared at my phone in frustration. A few days later, Ryan also became extremely busy, getting off work at 2 AM every night. I casually asked him: “Is Dr. James this busy too?” “That old workaholic bachelor is always breathing down my neck, like he’s got some grudge against me.” Ryan was so exhausted he was having paranoid delusions. Since he knew James and I were friends, he asked me to put in a good word for him. I sent James a message. “Dr. James, it’s one thing for you to be busy yourself, but can’t you let your student get off work earlier?” James was very cold. “It’s just work.” Two minutes later, he sent another message. “I’m not picking on him.” I hadn’t meant to stand up for Ryan, I was just looking for an excuse to chat with him. “I know you’re not that kind of person.” James: “…” He replied with an ellipsis. Half a month later, I went to the hospital for a checkup. My endocrine levels weren’t great. The female doctor asked about my sexual activity frequency over the past three months. I helplessly held my head: “I kissed someone two weeks ago, does that count?” Of course it didn’t. She tactfully suggested that getting some sleep would help. Standing in the hospital elevator, I fell into deep thought. Who should I sleep with? The elevator doors slowly opened and a large group of doctors poured in, squeezing me into the back corner. James stood at the front of the group of interns in his white coat, his expression serious and cold, exuding an impressive aura. Ryan was right behind him, yawning with his eyes closed. Compared to James’s elite vibe, Ryan really didn’t measure up. My gaze traveled over the crowd, landing on the man’s superior profile. Wasn’t this a case of the devil sending a pillow when I was feeling drowsy? Last time he seemed interested in me. I sent him a message. “Dr. James, I got an appointment with you.” James: “But I’m not seeing patients today.” “I know. There’s a special patient waiting outside your office.”

I had wanted to play this game with James for a long time. The door opened from the inside. James hurriedly pulled me into the room. “How dare you come to the hospital to find me?” What kind of question was that? I calmly sat down and glanced at him. “Dr. James, always acting so sneaky. Do you have another girlfriend out there?” James sat down in front of me, staring at me intently and letting out a long sigh. “What do you think? I’m already so infatuated with you that I’ve lost all sense of shame.” He always seemed so reluctant. Whatever, I liked forcing him. I leaned forward, furrowing my brow slightly. “Dr. James, I’m not feeling well. Can you examine me?” James seemed to know what I was up to and played along half-heartedly. “Tell me, what’s wrong?” I let out an affected “hmph”. “My breasts hurt, my back hurts, my legs feel weak too.” James coldly raised his eyes to look at me, pointing at his name badge with his pen. “Oh, I’m an internal medicine doctor. You should see someone else.” I knew he wouldn’t play along with me. I leaned forward on his desk. “Dr. James, I haven’t even told you about the inside yet. It feels even worse inside.” James pressed his fingers to his forehead, looking at me extremely helplessly. “Are my lines not important?” I clicked my tongue impatiently. “Are you a real doctor? Why aren’t you asking where I don’t feel well?” James was forced to comply: “Where don’t you feel well?” I stared straight at him. “I’m aching for you inside, Dr. James.” The pen suddenly slipped from his hand, clattering awkwardly onto the desk before rolling to the floor with a panicked sound. James was frozen in shock. He turned his head away, the tips of his ears bright red. “I already like you so much, stop trying to seduce me. I’m not going to fool around with you in the hospital.” I was just teasing him verbally. “I just came to see you. I probably interrupted you reading papers.” I looked around his office as I stood up, still talking. “By the way, where’s Ryan? Is he on the same floor as you?” James thought I was leaving and also stood up, looking anxious but answering irrelevantly. “He doesn’t have his own office!”

I didn’t understand. Of course an intern wouldn’t have his own office. “Can’t I at least say hi to him?” I wandered around his office, inadvertently meeting his eyes. James was leaning against the desk with one hand, gazing over at me, his eyes full of restrained affection. “Didn’t you say you came to see me?” He was pouting. My heart skipped a beat. “Dr. James, can I kiss you now?” James’s response was “yes”. He sat on the couch, holding my legs and pressing down on top of me as he kissed me. This man seemed quite easy to train. But I really had a tendency to push my luck with him. “Dr. James, don’t take advantage of my ignorance. Is this how you treat patients?” I pushed his chin away with my hand. James’s expression was one of barely contained desire. “Of course it is.” He stared at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he let out a low groan. “You’re very sick. Don’t you know that?” I grabbed his collar and leaned in close, staring into his eyes. “But doctor, you haven’t even prescribed the right treatment.” James lowered his eyes guiltily: “What do you want?” I reached up to stroke his hair. “I want to know if Dr. James takes his patients seriously. Can you repeat the symptoms I mentioned at the beginning?” James lowered his eyelashes, turning his head as he tried to recall. He seemed to remember. His face burned hot as he bit his lower lip hard, not saying a word. James was really quite cute. I tapped his name badge with my fingertip. “It seems the professor isn’t good with words, but you remember it all, don’t you?” James nodded gratefully. I raised an eyebrow and winked at him. “Then keep kissing lower.” James fell silent. … Just as the two of us were getting lost in our passionate kisses, there was a sudden knock at the door. “Dr. James, it’s Ryan. I’m here to turn in my report.”

James’s eyes flew open. He quickly got up off me, hurriedly taking off his coat and holding it in front of me. He looked like he was facing a great enemy. His specific body language resembled that of “an adulterer caught in the act”. He gripped my shoulders with both hands, sweat beading on his forehead as he spoke breathlessly. “What should we do?” I stared at him speechlessly, looking him up and down as I straightened my clothes, still not understanding. “What’s the big deal? Just let Ryan come in.” “He’s young and impulsive. What if he hits me?” He seemed really afraid of Ryan. I irritably threw the coat back at him. “Why would he hit you? You’re the teacher, he’s the student… Just because you were kissing me during work hours? He didn’t even hit you when you harassed him last time. Is his temper that bad?” James seemed to realize I was unhappy. He smoothly put on his coat. “I have a good temper too. If he really wants to hit me,” he said firmly, “I’ll let him.” I was really done with this. “He’s not going to hit you.” “I’ll go open the door now. Hiding and not opening it will only make people think we’re up to something.” James followed behind me: “You’re so smart.” I: “…” Ever since getting back together with James, my double eyelids had gotten wider – from constantly rolling my eyes. James rushed in front of me and put his hand on the doorknob, taking a deep breath as if steeling himself. “Lily, remember to stay quiet. I’ll handle this.” “I get it. I’ll just stay speechless.” Ryan was very surprised to see me. His mouth fell open and he even dropped his report. “Sis?! What are you doing in Dr. James’s office?” James awkwardly coughed, “Ahem, don’t misunderstand. She got lost in the hospital.” Goddammit. I knew it. This guy really was sick in the head. Ryan definitely didn’t believe that. And he was very wary of James. “Dr. James, do you think I’m an idiot? I already warned you, yet you still go after people close to me? Do you want me to report you?” James lowered his head in shame. “I’m truly sorry for any harm I’ve caused you…” Ryan couldn’t be bothered to listen to him and waved me over: “Come here, sis.” Me: “???” I remained motionless, continuing to observe. Like a caveman who had just gained consciousness. James buried his head extremely low, his hands clenched into fists as his voice trembled slightly. “Actually, I’ve been wanting to ask you… would you be willing to immigrate with me?” A sad atmosphere suddenly permeated the air. The room fell silent for a few seconds. I pondered – Who was he asking? “Shameless!” Ryan spat out. He grabbed my arm and ran. James stood there, not chasing after us.

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It was the fifth year after I broke up with Elliot Blair, and we met again at a class reunion. Right in front of our classmates, he knelt on one knee and proposed to me. “Samantha Adams, will you marry me?” I waved the wedding ring on my finger and told him, “I’m already married. From now on, I’ll be your uncle’s wife.” At the class reunion, I pushed open the door of the private room. The people who had been chatting and laughing merrily suddenly fell silent. They looked at me. After a moment of stillness, a man asked in confusion, “Who… Who is this?” Another man said, “I don’t know. Beautiful lady, did you go to the wrong room?” “Hey, I think she looks like Samantha Adams,” a woman stated. Another replied, “No way. How could Samantha afford to wear a limited-edition Chanel dress?” We had all changed a lot in the past five years. The group of classmates who used to be so righteous were now men dressed in suits and women looking all glammed up, all having that worldly and tactful look. I had changed from a poor student from the mountains who had to save on meals and eat only two instead of three a day to the founder of a jewelry brand that had more than a dozen offline stores and production factories. I couldn’t blame them for not recognizing me. The class monitor, Heather Hall, was the first to stand up and said with a smile, “It’s Samantha. I invited her to the reunion.” As soon as she finished speaking, there was an uproar among the people. One of them said, “Samantha, you’ve changed so much in five years, but you’re still as beautiful as before.” I responded to Heather’s greeting, took the empty seat beside her, and exchanged pleasantries with everyone. This class reunion wasn’t originally in my travel plans. Five years ago, when I was about to graduate, I had been wrongly accused of stealing money, got a criminal record, and didn’t even get my college diploma. All my classmates drew a clear line from me because of that theft incident. After I left Capinuss, I had no more contact with them. It was yesterday when I returned to Capinuss. When I landed at the airport, I accidentally left my bag behind, which contained important things like my driving license, bank cards, and jewelry design sketches. Heather found the bag and recognized me according to my driving license. To express my gratitude, I invited Heather to dinner, but she took the opportunity to invite me to the class reunion. I couldn’t refuse and came as promised. Unexpectedly, just as I sat down, the door was pushed open again, and the people who came in were Elliot Blair and Nora Wilson. The people who had been chatting with me just now fell completely silent.

Elliot was my boyfriend during my college days and was from a wealthy family in Capinuss. Nora was Elliot’s childhood friend, and their family backgrounds were a good match. Because I came from a poor mountainous area, after getting together with Elliot, I was constantly compared to Nora. People couldn’t understand why Elliot, instead of choosing Nora, was acting like a lovesick man to me. During my college years, I was so poor that I wore the same piece of clothing for three years. I was either busy with classes or on my way to a part-time job every day. When we were in a relationship, I could only choose free places like parks or libraries for our weekend dates. But Elliot was dead set on me. He started chasing after me during my freshman year, showing his concern for me. In my junior year, after saving enough money from several years of part-time jobs and having no more financial pressure, I finally agreed to his pursuit. After we got together, our relationship was great, and we never once quarreled. Before our college graduation, Nora lost 20 thousand dollars in the dormitory. Coincidentally, I was going to deposit 20 thousand dollars in the bank that day. So, some people said that I had stolen Nora’s 20 thousand dollars. The 20 thousand dollars was the money I had saved up by setting up a street stall in the evenings when I didn’t have classes. I saved it bit by bit, tens and hundreds of dollars at a time, over half a year. There was no way it could be the 20 thousand dollars that Nora had lost. I didn’t admit it and called the police myself. When we confronted each other at the police station, Nora said, “I just withdrew that 20 thousand dollars from the bank, and all the banknotes are in consecutive serial numbers. There’s a surveillance video at the bank counter. “If Samantha didn’t steal my money, we could check whether the 20 thousand dollars in her hand has consecutive serial numbers, and the truth will be revealed.” Then, the police checked and found that the 20 thousand dollars in my hand not only had consecutive serial numbers but also had the same serial numbers as the 20 thousand dollars that Nora had lost. It meant that the 20 thousand dollars in my hand was indeed the 20 thousand dollars that Nora had lost. With such irrefutable evidence, I couldn’t defend myself even if I tried. Because the incident caused a big commotion, the school finally expelled me, and my classmates all criticized me and distanced themselves from me. Even Elliot looked at me with disappointment and accused me, saying, “Samantha, if you needed money, you could have just told me. Twenty thousand dollars is just the cost of one of my clothes. Was it worth getting a criminal record and sending yourself to prison for such a small amount of money?” In the end, he forced me to apologize to Nora, saying that only if Nora forgave me would she not send me to prison.

What happened back then should have been resolved back then. Now, seeing Elliot again after five years, I felt completely indifferent inside. However, Elliot walked towards me with an excited expression. “Samantha, how have you been these past few years?” I looked at him calmly and smiled, “Thanks to you, I’ve been doing fine.” Elliot was taken aback. In the year we were in love, he had known all my preferences inside out. He could tell what I was thinking just by seeing me frown. Even though five years had passed and everything had changed, one’s personality didn’t change easily. He knew that my smile showed my ease after completely letting go of the past, and his face turned pale instantly. “Samantha, I’ve been looking for you for the past five years,” he said. Ignoring the classmates around us who were watching and not caring about Nora, who was beside him, he continued eagerly, “I even went to your hometown and asked all your family members. But they all said they didn’t have your contact information. Samantha, I’ve been searching for you for five years.” His voice choked up a bit, and his eyes were already red. “As soon as Heather said she saw you yesterday, I immediately flew back from abroad.” No wonder Elliot looked so travel-worn, with his suit all wrinkled, and I almost thought his family had gone bankrupt just now. Heather looked a bit embarrassed and explained to me in a low voice, “Samantha, there were some misunderstandings about what happened back then. I thought it was necessary to call him here to explain things clearly and apologize to you.” What happened back then, of course, referred to that theft incident that left me unable to defend myself. As the dormitory leader, Heather was the one who had first accused me of stealing. She stood up, took a deep breath, and said to me solemnly, “Today, in front of our classmates, I want to clarify one thing. Samantha didn’t steal Nora’s money back then. “That 20 thousand dollars was Samantha’s. I replaced it with the 20 thousand dollars that Nora gave when Samantha wasn’t around.” Nora, who had been silent, stepped forward reluctantly under Elliot’s intense gaze and apologized to me, saying, “Sorry, Samantha. You didn’t steal my money. I framed you back then.” Everyone was immediately in an uproar, and one shouted, “Samantha was too pitiful back then. She not only didn’t get her diploma but also lost her job. I remember she had received a job offer from Chanel back then.” Heather looked pale. “Samantha, I’m really sorry.” I had studied hard for more than ten years, managed to get into university with great difficulty, and worked day and night to get that dream job offer. But because of that malicious frame-up, everything came to nothing. I carried the stigma of theft, and my life changed from then on. Now, could it be resolved just with a simple “sorry”? Smiling, I stood up and told them word by word, “I don’t forgive you.”

There was no point in staying at this party any longer. I picked up my bag and turned to leave. But Elliot chased after me to the door and stopped me. “Samantha, I misunderstood you about what happened back then.” He had a look of pain and regret. “I’ve been looking for you all these years, wanting to tell you the truth.” I looked straight at him. “Now, I know the truth. So what? Are you going to plead for Nora and ask me to let it go?” In the past few years, even though I wasn’t in Capinuss, I had heard about the situation of the Wilson family. Due to some failed investments in the previous two years, the Wilson family owed more than they could pay and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Nora was only willing to admit her mistake to me because her family was in financial straits and her jewelry brand needed Elliot’s financial support. If her family’s wealth and influence were still the same as they were back then, she would definitely not have apologized to me today. Elliot was hit right in the mark by my words, and a look of guilt flashed across his face awkwardly. He said, “Nora already knows she was wrong. Her family is in a tough situation, and she’s suffering now. “Besides, she once saved my life. If it weren’t for her back then, I would have died in the mountain flood.” When Elliot was fifteen years old, he had gone on a trip out of the province with his classmates and gone to a mountain area to escape the heat. Unexpectedly, it rained upstream, and the mountain flood came so quickly that it swept Elliot into the river. Everyone said that Nora had saved him. Because of that, Nora had water in her lungs, and her health hadn’t been good these past few years. “Nora is suffering. But what about me?” I looked at Elliot calmly. “Did you ever think about how miserable I was when I was expelled from school? I came from a mountainous area, and my family had used up all their savings to support my studies. But I didn’t get my diploma and lost my job. How do you think I felt? “What’s more, it was you that Nora saved. What does that have to do with me? Why are you so generous at the expense of my future?” Elliot’s lips twitched. “I’m sorry, Samantha. I apologize to you on her behalf. But it’s been five years already. Can’t you let it go? “Don’t worry. With me around, you won’t have to suffer anymore. I’ll make up for all the hardships you’ve endured in the past five years.” As he spoke, as if he had just remembered something, he suddenly knelt on one knee and took out a diamond ring from his pocket. “Samantha, will you marry me?”

It was absurd. The Elliot I remembered was smart, gentle, and sensible. Now that we had met again, how could he do such a thoughtless thing as proposing to me right after not seeing each other for five years? He completely turned a blind eye to the pain I had endured when I was isolated, wronged, expelled from school, and lost my job. Heather and the others all chased after us. When they saw the scene, they started cheering and shouting, “Samantha, say yes.” One of them said, “Back then, Elliot was going to propose to you, and the venue was all set up. If it hadn’t been for that theft incident that day, maybe you would be married by now and have your baby.” I corrected his words, “It wasn’t a theft incident but a frame-up. Since you framed me back then, you should clarify it now. I want all of you to post on your social media platforms to clear my name.” Heather’s expression immediately turned terrible, but after taking a look at Elliot, she still nodded. “Okay.” Nora stood behind Heather, biting her lower lip with a look of unwillingness. At this moment, a car slowly drove up. After seeing the license plate number, I composed myself, looked down at Elliot, and said, “It’s been five years, Elliot. What makes you think I’d still be waiting for you to propose to me?” Elliot finally seemed to have noticed something, looking at my right hand. “You…” I waved the wedding ring on my finger and told him, “I’m already married. From now on, I’ll be your uncle’s wife.” Elliot was taken aback. “What?” Just then, the approaching car stopped in front of me.

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I gave Lucas Bennett two million dollars to help him rebuild his business after his family went bankrupt. Later, I even became blind after saving him in a car accident. The day I regained my sight, I discovered he had already moved his first love into our home. She had been living with me as a maid for five years, eating and sleeping under the same roof. Even the child I had raised for five years turned out to be hers and Lucas’s. During an argument, Lucas pushed me, causing me to fall and bleed to death. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of the car accident. This time, I didn’t save Lucas. He became the blind one instead. I stared at the light dancing on my fingertips, stunned. After coming to my senses, I wanted to run downstairs to tell Lucas the good news. But when I reached the stairs, I saw two people sitting on the sofa. One was my so-called husband Lucas, and the other was his first love, Mia. So the maid my husband Lucas had hired for me was actually his former flame. The two were passionately kissing, completely disregarding anyone else’s presence. My mind went blank as I silently watched for a while. Then I started walking down the stairs. Lucas heard the noise and gently pushed Mia away. When he realized it was me, a flash of panic crossed his face before he regained his composure. “Why did you come down? Has your vision returned?” I looked at the lipstick mark on Lucas’s lips and sneered. “Yes, I’m not blind anymore. How else could I see you two being so affectionate?” Lucas had never seen me speak so sarcastically before. His brows furrowed. He wanted to say something, but Mia stopped him. She sashayed over to me, the picture of an innocent flower. In a voice only the two of us could hear, she said: “Olivia, I’ve been living here for five years now.” “I went through pregnancy and postpartum recovery with you. Even the child you’ve been holding for five years is mine and Lucas’s.” “That bastard of yours? I put it in formaldehyde and made it into a specimen long ago.” Hearing this, I violently pushed Mia away. I stared at her sitting on the ground, my eyes full of shock and hatred for her. But before I could do anything, Lucas had already rushed over and shoved me away. Caught off guard, I hit the corner of the table hard. Blood immediately gushed from the back of my head, dripping onto the floor. I tried to say something, but no words came out. Lucas went straight to Mia and carried her away. He didn’t even spare a glance at me lying in a pool of blood. I died, my eyes still open in disbelief.

I remember being adopted by the Bennett family when I was eight years old. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett were extremely good to me, as was Lucas. At eighteen, I realized I had fallen for Lucas. Unfortunately, he only saw me as a sister. Later, he met Mia and quickly became her boyfriend. Someone gossiped about it to Mr. Bennett, who flew into a rage: “Break up with that girl immediately. I won’t acknowledge her or let her into our family.” “You can only marry Olivia in this lifetime.” Because of that last sentence, Lucas began to hate me. No matter how I tried to explain, he was convinced I had told on him. He stormed out and didn’t come home for a long time. Mr. Bennett regretted his words and swallowed his pride to call Lucas. The only response he got was: “If Olivia is in this house, I won’t be.” To avoid putting Mr. and Mrs. Bennett in a difficult position, I left the Bennett family and started my own company. When I heard news of the Bennetts again at age twenty, it was that the family had gone bankrupt and Mr. and Mrs. Bennett had committed suicide. Mia had broken up with Lucas and gone abroad to further her studies. I returned to the Bennett family’s old house to find it in ruins. Lucas was surrounded by empty bottles and cigarette butts. The sight pierced my heart. How had that once ambitious young man become like this? Despite my friends’ objections, I insisted on giving him two million dollars to help him get back on his feet. Later, I even became blind after saving Lucas, enduring all kinds of insults from others. Fortunately, he eventually achieved success. Just when others thought my suffering had paid off, he cheated on me with his first love. He even kept her under my nose.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I saved Lucas and became blind. I stared at the skyscrapers before me, dazed. A security guard noticed and came over to shoo me away: “Get out of here! Do you know where you are?” “You poor beggar, leave now before I call someone to throw you out.” His words snapped me back to reality. I looked at this familiar security guard without saying anything, just sneering before turning to leave. I tossed the lunchbox I was holding into a nearby trash can. Then I found a shady, hidden spot to watch and wait. Sure enough, Lucas soon rushed out of the office building. He hurried across the street, ignoring the traffic. I smirked as I watched it all unfold, counting down in my mind. “3” “2” “1” A piercing screech of brakes filled the air, followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground. I looked up at the road. Lucas was lying on the ground convulsing, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The sudden accident frightened passersby, who were momentarily stunned. It wasn’t until someone shouted “Call 911!” that people frantically took out their phones to dial emergency services. A crowd began to gather, with some even taking out their phones to record Lucas in this state. Imagining Lucas’s reaction when he found out about the online videos, I couldn’t help but cover my mouth and giggle. A cough sounded behind me. I slowly turned around to find an unfamiliar man, and silently breathed a sigh of relief. The ambulance sirens wailed as medical staff rushed out and quickly took Lucas away. Only the traffic police remained at the scene to investigate. I stole a glance at the man before calmly walking away. But the burning gaze on my back made my steps falter.

I had just gotten home and laid down when my phone rang, echoing through the house. I lazily picked up the phone to see it was Henry, Lucas’s friend calling. I answered casually. An anxious voice came through: “Olivia, come to City Hospital quickly. Lucas has been in a car accident.” Before I could respond, he had already hung up. I looked at the ended call screen and rolled my eyes. Birds of a feather really do flock together – what kind of person someone is determines who they’re friends with. But now wasn’t the time to burn bridges. After getting ready, I made my way to the hospital at a leisurely pace. By the time I arrived, Lucas had already finished surgery and regained consciousness. “Why aren’t the lights on?” he asked. Henry stood nearby and explained: “The lights are on. You just can’t see because you’ve lost your vision.” Lucas was stunned for a moment before he started shouting: “How is that possible? I don’t want to be blind!” “Where’s the doctor? Where’s the doctor? I need to see a doctor!” I stood outside the door, silently watching Lucas’s meltdown. In my previous life, I had been blind for a full seven years. He couldn’t accept it after just becoming blind – how would he cope in the future? I pushed open the door and walked in. Henry looked at me as if he’d seen a savior. He gestured for me to go comfort Lucas. Swallowing the nausea rising in my throat, I walked to the bedside and took Lucas’s hand, gently consoling him: “Lucas, Lucas, don’t be like this. The doctor said you’ll recover.” While I outwardly comforted him, inwardly I was praying Lucas would never regain his sight. Lucas gripped my hand back, his face anxious. “Olivia, even if I’m like this, you’ll always stay by my side, right?” I nodded lightly and replied with a soft “Mm.” But my face was full of mockery. With Lucas in this state now, who would really stay by his side? His precious Mia?

Lucas stayed in the hospital for a full month before being discharged. On the day he was released, Henry came too. He handed over an invitation. “Lucas, this is for a banquet hosted by CZ Company.” “It’s the invitation you asked me to get for you before.” When I heard the company name, I paused for a second. Lucas fumbled to take the invitation, mumbling a “thank you.” Then he said nothing more and turned to go home. In my previous life, CZ Company had a major project at this time that needed a partner. The banquet was being held for this purpose. Lucas was attending in hopes of securing the project. Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but laugh. With his abilities, it was nothing but a pipe dream. On the day of the banquet, I showed up in a burgundy mermaid gown. Lucas beside me was still handsome, but he was leaning on a white cane with a vacant stare. Seeing this sight, the other guests began whispering among themselves. My gaze locked onto a woman in the middle of the room, and my smile became more genuine. She swirled her wine glass and walked towards me. Looking at Lucas beside me with disdain, her voice dripped with sarcasm: “Why is there a blind man at the banquet?” Lucas’s face darkened. He was about to lose his temper when Henry stopped him, leaning in to whisper the woman’s identity. Zoe Lewis, CEO of CZ Company. When I looked up at her, I unexpectedly met her gaze. I gave a small smile. It had been a long time since I’d seen my old friend. Lucas’s expression froze, but he forced out a smile: “Ms. Lewis, I’m the CEO of JC Company. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Zoe was the first to look away. She lowered her eyes to watch her swirling wine glass, her voice full of disinterest. “Oh, I don’t know you.” Then without sparing Lucas another glance, she turned and left. Seeing Zoe’s attitude, the surrounding crowd began to make snide remarks. “Tch, he still thinks he’s that young master from before.” “If it weren’t for the two million his woman beside him gave him, who knows where he’d be washing dishes now.” “Just a man living off a woman.” Lucas’s face turned black, his fists clenched tight. But he couldn’t refute them. After all, everyone in A City knew Lucas had gotten back on his feet thanks to me. I silently watched as everyone mocked Lucas, not helping him. Until a woman’s voice came from behind the crowd. “How can you all talk about Lucas like that?”

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